Provide one dozen of very tender, sound celery knots, peel and thoroughly wash them twice. Cut them in quarter, then place them in a saucepan with one ounce of butter, a quart of white broth (No. 101), a sprig of thyme, three cloves and twenty whole peppers, place the pan on the hot range and cook for sixty minutes. Strain through a sieve into another saucepan, seeing that everything is strained except the cloves and peppers. Dilute a teaspoonful of corn starch into half a cup of cold milk, and gradually add it to the puree, sharply stirring mean-while. Cook for three minutes longer. Have six shelled hard boiled eggs ready, then place the puree right in the centre of a hot dish, giving it a dome shape. Gently arrange the six eggs around it, leaning slightly against the dome as a support to the column. Lay a thin slice of truffle in the centre of each, then pour a gill of hot Madeira sauce (No. 103), around the dish, but not over the eggs, and then serve.