String Beans
String one quart of beans and cut them in inch lengths. Wash and drain. Melt a large tablespoonful of butter in a saucepan, add one-half a teaspoonful of salt and one-quarter of a teaspoonful of white pepper and the drained beans.. Cover closely and shake over the fire for ten minutes; add four tablespoonfuls of boiling water and draw a little to one side, where they will not cook so fast. As the water evaporates, add more, but never more than a few spoonfuls at a time. If the beans are tender they will cook tender in twenty-one minutes; if older, they may require as much as forty-five minutes. They are very tender and delicate. By way of variety, add a few spoonfuls of rich cream just before taking them from the fire.