Well butter some small plain moulds, placing at the bottom a round of either cooked tongue (see that this is a good colour) or truffle, stamped out with a plain round cutter; then line the mould neatly round and round with boiled spaghetti (a sort of smaller pipe macaroni), and fill these with a chicken quenelle mixture; now with a spoon handle (dipped out of hot water), make a hollow in the centre of each and lay in one or more bearded oysters, seasoned with coralline pepper and lemon juice and a very little thick bechamel, cover over with more of the quenelle mixture, smoothing this in a rather dome shape with a hot wet knife, and poach in boiling water till firm; then drain them on a clean cloth, and dish each, either on a halved cooked tomato, or an artichoke bottom. Remember in dishing these entrees that their appearance is always improved by being stood upon something, so as to raise them above the level of the entree dish; this foundation may be either a border of farce, a border of potato, or a little flattened cone of mashed potato, or of any vegetable puree to taste, or as above on a tomato or an artichoke.

A wall of mashed or sieved potato either browned in the oven or left white, or a casserole of rice answer admirably for these ragouts.

For the casserole of rice well wash llb. of good rice, add to this a quart of water, with pepper and salt to taste, and cover with a good slice of bacon; when the rice is well burst and soft, pound it to a paste in a mortar, and when perfectly smooth (its beauty depends on this) roll it up into a ball and turn it on to a baking sheet covered with a sheet of buttered paper, and shape it into a plain round like a Charlotte mould (chefs of course mould this rice into all kinds of shapes, but the above is quite enough to expect from the ordinary plain cook), and when quite smooth, brush it all over with liquefied butter, and set it in the oven till delicately browned; then scoop out the inside, leaving the sides ½in. thick, and smoothing the inner surface with the back of a spoon previously dipped in hot water. This casserole can be prepared some time beforehand, and keeps well if stored in a dry place. Some cooks butter moulds and fill them with the mashed potato or pounded rice and bake them till nicely coloured, turning them out and scooping the inside away when cooked. This of course saves trouble.

These cases can manifestly be made any size required.

Besides these, first rate cooks make butter cases for such ragouts as are given above; but, though I have known a so-called plain cook who made these to perfection, they are hardly within the scope of the average " good plain cook." I give the recipe, however, for anyone bent on experiment. Boll l½oz. of fresh butter with your hand in finely sifted flour then dip it into well beaten whole egg, and roll it in fine bread crumbs; repeat this egging and crumbing, then shape it into a cylinder, cut a round at one end, and at once fry in boiling fat till of a nice gold colour. Fry these cases very quickly, lifting them out, removing the round at the end, and pouring off the liquefied butter inside, the very moment they are sufficiently coloured, and fill them at once with any nice and very light mince or creme, which must be quite hot when added to the cases. The butter poured away from these will be found excellent for sauces, etc.