Garbure with Lettuce

First wash sixteen small lettuce heads several times, changing the water each time; blanch them for ten minutes, then refresh and press out all the liquid from them; lay them on a cloth, season them with a little salt and pepper, and place on each a chicken forcemeat ball of an inch and a quarter in diameter, mixing in with it a little chopped chervil. Wrap up the forcemeat in the lettuce, them over, giving them a long appearance; then tie three times round with a fine string (lettuce for soup must not be wrapped in lard), and put them in a stewpan lined with carrots, onions, and a garnished bouquet. Cover with some veal stock, protect with a sheet of buttered paper, boil, and let the lettuce simmer for two hours, then drain, untie, and trim them slightly; put them into a vegetable dish, moistening them with consomme, and keep them in a warm place until needed. Trim off some small rye rolls, the same as for croute-au-pot (No. 305); range them in a deep dish, baste them over with chicken fat, and brown them in the oven; drain off the fat, and when colored, moisten them with good broth, season with a little mignonette, and send to the table at the same time a soup tureen of consomme. Serve grated parmesan cheese separately. Put into each plate one of the crusts, also one lettuce and cover with consomme.