Stew them in as little water as possible, till they are soft. Take them out, drain, and press them as dry as you can. Then put them in a stew-pan, add butter, pepper and salt to the taste. Add some cream if you have it.
178. Wash them, cut them in half, season with pepper and salt; fry them in butter till of a light brown. They must be fried slowly.
179. Scrape and wash them. Boil them in a little water, with salt to taste. When they are soft dish them, and pour over melted butter, or drawn butter.
180. They should be boiled in as little water as possible. Season the water with salt just to taste. When they begin to lose their sweetness, late in the season, add a little sugar, which greatly improves their flavor.
When soft, take them up and mash them with a little pepper, salt, butter, and cream, if you have it.
181. Cut the celery in pieces about a quarter of an inch long. Make a dressing of the yelks of three eggs boiled hard, half a gill of vinegar, half a gill of sweet oil, one tea spoonful of French mustard, or half a tea spoonful of common mustard, with salt and cayenne pepper to the taste. Pour this mixture over the celery, stir it well and send it to the table.
It should be kept in cold water to make it crisp, until about fifteen minutes before it is sent to the table, then drain it and pour the dressing over.
CELERY STEWED WITH LAMB. (_French fashion_.)
182. Take six neck chops, crack the bone of each across the middle, and put them into a stew-pan. Cut up and wash two large heads of celery, and mix with the meat; pepper and salt to the taste. Roll two ounces of butter in a little flour and add to it, with half a gill of water. Cover it closely, and let it simmer slowly till the celery is soft. If the gravy stews away too much, add a little water, and if it should not be quite thick enough, stir in a little flour mixed with cold water.
183. Scrape and wash your asparagus, put it in a net, boil it in just enough water to cover it, with salt to the taste.
When it is done and perfectly soft, take it up, drain it, and pour over it a rich drawn butter.
Toast is generally laid in the bottom of the dish and the asparagus put on it, but some prefer it without the toast.
184. Choose a head of fine cabbage lettuce, strip off the outer leaves, cut it in half, and wash it well.