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Cream of Cucumber Soup

2 large cucumbers, 8 onions, sprig parsley, handful spinach, 2 tablespoons Crisco, 1 tablespoon cornstarch, 1 quart white stock, 1 cup milk, 2 cups cream, 2 yolks eggs, nutmeg, 1 teaspoon sugar, pepper and salt to taste, croutons.

Peel cucumbers and cut firm part into dice, about 3 tablespoons; boil gently in salted water until soft, drain and reserve for soup. Cut remainder cucumber into pieces, cut onions small. Make Crisco hot in stewpan, fry onions and cucumber 5 minutes, add parsley with stock, let it simmer 20 minutes. Mix cornstarch with milk, stir in soup until it boils, let boil 10 minutes. Well wash and drain spinach, pound it in mortar, turn it into cloth and squeeze lightly as possible. Pour as much of this liquor into soup as will make it a delicate green color. Pass soup through sieve, turn it back into stewpan. Mix cream and yolks of eggs in basin, pour boiling soup on to them, stirring at same time, return to pan; it must not boil again or it will curdle. Season to taste with nutmeg, pepper, and salt. Cut bread into dice, fry pale color in hot Crisco, drain and toss them in sugar, sprinkle little red pepper over and place in oven 2 minutes. Warm dice of cucumber, put them in tureen with croutons and pour hot soup over and serve.

Beef, a la Mode 3 pounds lean beef, larding bacon, 1 quart stock, 1 glass claret, 3 tablespoons Crisco, 4 tablespoons flour, 2 carrots, 1 chopped onion, 10 button onions, sprig parsley, piece thyme, 1 bay leaf, juice half lemon, 2 cloves, salt and pepper to taste.

Trim, bone, and lard meat, place it in basin with wine, lemon juice, chopped onion, cloves, salt, pepper parsley, thyme, bay leaf, and let it stand 2 hours, basting frequently. Melt Crisco in stewpan, drain beef, and fry it brown, and at same time lightly fry button onions. Remove both from stewpan, put in flour, and fry until it acquires a nut-brown color; add stock and wine marinade in which meat was soaked, and stir until boiling. Replace meat and onions, season to taste, add carrots thinly sliced, cook gently for 3 hours, stirring and skimming occasionally. When done place on hot dish, strain sauce over, and garnish with groups of onions and carrots.