CASSOLETTES WITH PEAS
Two pounds of cooked potatoes, 2 ozs. butter, 3 tablespoonfuls cream (or milk), 2 raw yolks, 1 whole raw egg, breadcrumbs, seasoning, 1 pint peas, 1 tablespoonful minced onion, ¹⁄₄ teaspoonful chopped mint.
Two pounds of cooked potatoes, 2 ozs. butter, 3 tablespoonfuls cream (or milk), 2 raw yolks, 1 whole raw egg, breadcrumbs, seasoning, 1 pint peas, 1 tablespoonful minced onion, ¹⁄₄ teaspoonful chopped mint.
Method.—Put one ounce of butter into an earthenware casserole with the onion and cook gently for five minutes (without colouring), then add the peas and simmer them for ten minutes in the butter, turning them constantly with a wooden spoon; at the end of the time season with salt, pepper, and castor sugar, add the mint and a quarter of a pint of water; bring the latter gradually to boiling point, then cover the peas closely with a greased paper before putting on the lid of the casserole, and let them cook very gently until they are quite tender. They must be stirred from time to time, and if they get too dry a little more water may be added, but it is not intended there should be much, and when done it should be nearly all absorbed, and then two tablespoonfuls of cream should be added and the simmering continued, for ten minutes more, but the cream must not be allowed to boil. Pass the potatoes through a sieve into a basin (they should be still hot) and add one ounce of warmbutter and a tablespoonful of cream and beat them well, then add (one at a time) the yolks of two raw eggs, and season with salt, pepper, nutmeg, a pinch of castor sugar and a few drops of lemon-juice and beat the mixture again for a few minutes and spread it out on a flat dish. When it is cold take a small portion at a time and roll it on a floured board into a little ball (of about the size of a golf-ball); flatten it slightly at each end, thus converting it into the shape of a small cylinder; mark the top with a small round cutter, then dip the cassolettes into beaten egg and cover them thickly with fine, dried breadcrumbs, and after allowing time for the crumbs to dry, fry them in deep boiling fat until they are a decided golden colour. Drain the cassolettes, and carefully remove the marked portion, then take out all the soft inside, leaving the cases hollow; fill them with the stewed peas, place in the oven for a few moments and serve garnished with parsley. Cassolettes made in the same way may be filled with buttered eggs mixed with a small quantity of chopped parsley and onion, and also hard boiled eggs chopped and mixed with white mushroom sauce.