Practical gastronomy and culinary dictionary

Cut the egg-plants lengthwise in twos, remove a portion of the interior to make room for the stuffing. Chop the bacon, mushrooms, and suet finely. Put the butter and bacon in a stewpan; when hot, add the shallots, and fry a little ; mix in a basin the suet, parsley, breadcrumbs (previously soaked in a little milk), and Parmesan cheese. Season with pepper and 592 RECHERCHE COOKERY. salt, add butter and shallots, also the yolk of an egg, or, if found necessary, the whole egg. Mix well, then put this stuffing in the aubergines. Eange them in a buttered saute-pan, sprinkle with a mixture of bread- crumbs and grated cheese, bake in a moderate oven for half an hour, or more. Dish up, and serve with •demi- glace sauce. 564. Tomates Farcies a I'ltalienne. — Select eight or nine even-sized tomatoes, remove the stalks and green parts, cut out the centre with a scoop, leaving the opening as small as possible, and, without breaking the sides of the fruit, remove the pulp from the tomatoes. Put into a stewpan one small chopped shallot, and fry in half an ounce of butter ; add two ounces of finely-chopped cooked ham, fry a little longer ; next add the tomato pulp, a glass of sherry, a teaspoonful of chopped parsley, six chopped mush- rooms, and a small handful of fresh breadcrumbs ; mix well over the fire, season with pepper and salt, and bind with one ladleful of Veloute sauce and two yolks of eggs ; stir again over the fire for a minute or two. Fill the tomatoes with this preparation, put them on a buttered baking-tin or saute-pan, sprinkle with breadcrumbs and grated cheese, drop a little oiled butter on top of each ; bake in the oven for half an hour. Dish up on a hot dish ; reduce a little brown sauce with the gravy from the tomatoes, pour over, and serve. 565. Tomates a la Bouquetiere. — 8 medium-sized tomatoes, 1 tablespoonful salad oil, 1 gill cooked macedoine vegetables, 1 truffle, 2 oz. cooked tongue, 2 oz. cooked chicken meat, 1 dessert- spoonful chopped parsley, | lemon, 1 oz. French capers, salt, pepper, and cayenne. Steep the tomatoes in boiling water for a few seconds, peel them carefully, and scoop out the centre ; cut the tongue, chicken, and truffle into fine shreds or dice, put these with the macedoine in a basin, season with oil lemon juice, pepper, salt, and a pinch DRESSED VEGETABLES AND SALADS. 593 of cayenne, mix with the capers and chopped parsley. Fill the tomatoes with this mixture, dish up on a glass dish, and serve. 566. Souffles a la Tomate. — 1 oz. butter, 1 oz. flour, 1 oz. ham, 1 pint white stock, 1 gill milk and cream, 1 small onion stuck with 1 clove, 6 peppercorns, 3 whites of eggs, 1 gill concentrated tomato puree, a pinch paprika pepper and salt, souffle cases.