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could not obtain without the decoction of fifty hams. A cook is after all a chemist, and in those days the chemistry of the kitchen was very cumbrous and expensive. The Soubise sauce intended for mutton will be found below; but it may be doubted whether one Englishman in a million who enjoys his mutton cutlet à la Soubise dreams of what it ought to be as imagined by the great chef Bertrand, and as accepted by the Prince of Soubise. It has already been said that Bertrand was an enthusiastic believer in ham and bacon. The chief article of his worship was fumigated pig, and his notion of mutton was that it should always be intersected with bacon. Take a neck of mutton, trim it, parboil it, cut it into thick cutlets, lard them well with plugs of bacon, broil them, and serve them with a white purée of onions. Ditto for the shoulder of mutton. Englishmen are of course scandalised at the idea of larding good mutton; and accordingly they discard everything from Bertrand's receipt but the Soubise sauce. They are quite right; but at the same time it is not difficult to guess at the explanation of Bertrand's proceedings. They probably grew out of the carbonade. A carbonade of mutton is cold underdone mutton, scored and slashed and sent to the grill. Bertrand had to do a carbonade one day, and felt that the mutton already cooked would be dried up on the grill. He tried to prevent this by interlacing it with bacon; and the result of the broil was so satisfactory to him and to his master that henceforth he took to parboiling his mutton for the express purpose of larding it first and then carbonading it.
Soubise Sauce.-Peel, blanch, and mince an abundance of onions. Simmer them gently in white broth till they are done. Then add some Béchamel, or in default of Soup Béchamel a tumbler of cream with two spoonfuls of flour and two pinches of sugar. Reduce this quickly, but always taking care that it does not catch the pan and lose colour. Pass it through the tammy and finish it with fresh butter. See that it comes out decidedly thick.