One dozen tender French chops (lamb or mutton). Three cepes (large mushrooms). Salt, pepper, one beaten egg. Cracker-dust. Fat for frying.

Flatten and trim the chops; divide each cepe into four strips, make a hole with the point of a knife in the thickest part of each chop and thrust through it a slice of the mushroom. Pepper and salt, dip in raw beaten egg, coat with cracker-crumbs and set in a cold place for one hour. Fry them in deep fat to a fine brown.

Mrs. Larned in her useful and charming book, ''The Little Epicure," adds to what is substantially the same recipe as this: "Spread nicely trimmed pieces of toast with pdte-de-foie-gras, place a chop on each and serve with Madeira sauce poured around. Use butter instead of the pdte-de-foie-gras if you prefer.''

In either case it is a "dainty dish to set before a king," or an American epicure. To many tastes a good tomato sauce would be more acceptable than the Madeira, but even a veteran recipe-writer must suggest diffidently when the accomplished woman above quoted directs.