Boiled Cauliflower

Trim off the leaves of a sound, firm head of cauliflower and wash it well in plenty of cold water in which a handful of salt has been dissolved. If any insects are visible between the branches of the cauliflower let it soak in salted water, with the flowerets down, for an hour or so, as the salt will kill the insects and they will fall down into the water. About three-quarters of an hour before serving put two tablespoonfuls of butter, one teaspoonful of salt, and one-fourth teaspoonful of white pepper into a saucepan large enough to hold the cauliflower; take from it the salted water, put it at once into the saucepan without draining it, cover carefully, set it over a slow fire, and let simmer until tender, which will be in about half an hour. Then without breaking the cauliflower take it up on a hot dish, let the butter and water in which it was cooked boil rapidly for a minute or so, then pour it over the cauliflower, and serve. If a thick sauce is desired, mix one teaspoonful of flour or cornstarch dissolved in one teacupful of water with the butter and water, boiling it constantly for two minutes, stirring frequently, and then serve it with the cauliflower. After it is carefully washed the cauliflower may be boiled till it is tender, and then drained and served with white sauce; or covered with sauce and breadcrumbs and browned in a hot oven; or when the heads are small and defective, either boiled or served in branches instead of whole, or mashed through a colander, and heated with pepper, salt and butter. Cold boiled cauliflower is very palatable fried plain in butter, or broken in branches and served; or mashed and fried, with the adding of an egg, and salt and pepper.

Boiled Cauliflower, American Style

Pluck off the outside leaves and soak in cold salted water, top downwards for an hour to thoroughly cleanse it; then tie it in a twine bag to prevent breaking, and cook in salted boiling water for about twenty minutes, or until quite tender. If it is not boiled in a bag, remove the scum before it settles on the cauliflower. Serve in a shallow dish and cover it with a cream of hollandaise sauce, or add a little grated cheese; cover with cracker-crumbs moistened in melted butter and bake until the crumbs are done brown, or when cold, serve as a salad with mayonnaise dressing.

Cauliflower Fritters

Cut into equal-sized pieces two well-boiled cauliflowers, dip each piece into thick yellow or white sauce, and place them one side to cool. Take them out with a spoon, put them into a basin of frying-batter, plunge them into a fryingpan of boiling fat and fry to a good color. Serve very hot on a napkin spread over a dish. If it is preferred, the pieces of cauliflower may be dipped into vinegar, oil, salt and pepper mixed together in place of the batter, and then fried.

Gratinated Cauliflowers

After trimming off the leaves of two or three cauliflowers, leaving only the centers, boil them in water until they are about two-thirds done; then remove, drain and divide into sprigs or natural sections. Place a layer of these on the bottom of a baking-dish, cover them with a sauce made of melted butter in which grated Parmesan and Gruyere cheese have been mixed, and keep on in this way with the layers until the dish is full. Sprinkle a small quantity of cheese on the top, and then a few breadcrumbs or grated bread, pour over the top a little melted butter, and bake in a moderate oven until done and of a good color. If the cheese is not desired, it may be entirely discarded; but if it is used it should be mixed with the sauce and not simply grated on the top. Care must be taken to see that every portion of the cauliflower is covered with the sauce.