Cream of Lettuce, Romaine or Chiccory a la Evers

Procure two pounds of lettuce, romaine or chiccory, and proceed exactly the same for either. Wash them in several waters after removing the greenish leaves, then cook them in boiling, salted water, until the hardest parts yield under the pressure of the finger, then drain and cool them off; squeeze out all the water, and chop them up coarsely. Put into a saucepan four ounces of butter, and when very hot, add the lettuce and let fry for a few minutes; moisten with two quarts of broth, then boil and simmer for fifteen minutes, adding one quart of veloute (No. 415), strain through a sieve or tammy, heat it up again, and when the soup is near boiling point, thicken with egg-yolks, cream and butter (No. 175), seasoning with salt, sugar, and nutmeg.

Garnishing.—Pound in a mortar, one-half pound of bread-crumbs with two whole eggs, adding them in gradually, and half of the same quantity of pate-a-choux (No. 132), roll it out to three-sixteenths of an inch in thickness, and cut in squares, then fry in clarified butter.