282 STUDIES OF AMERICAN FUNGI. 



dressing on lettuce leaves, or mixed with cress and served with 

 French dressing, as salads. 



The ** green " or Russula virescens may be peeled, cut into thin 

 slices, mixed with the leaves of water-cress which have been picked 

 carefully from the stems, covered with French dressing, and served 

 on slices of tomato. It is well to peel all mushrooms if they are to 

 be served raw. To bake, follow recipes given for baking campestris. 

 In this way they are exceedingly nice over the ordinary broiled steak. 



One of the nicest ways, however, of preparing them for steak is 

 to wash, dry and put them, gills up, in a baking pan, having a goodly 

 quantity ; pour over just a little melted butter ; dust with salt and 

 pepper, and put them into the oven for fifteen minutes. While you 

 are broiling the steak, put the plate upon which it is to be served 

 over hot water to heat ; put on it a tablespoonful of butter, a little 

 salt, pepper, and some finely chopped parsley. Take the mushrooms 

 from the oven, put some in the bottom of the plate, dish the steak on 

 top, covering the remaining quantity over the steak. Add two table- 

 spoonfuls of stock or water to the pan in which they were baked ; 

 allow this to boil, scraping all the material from the pan ; baste this 

 over the steak, and serve at once. 



Agaricus campestris and many other varieties may also be used 

 in this same way. 



LACTARII. 



Remove the stems, and wash the mushrooms. Put them into a 

 saucepan, allowing a tablespoonful of butter and a half teaspoonful of 

 salt to each pint. Add four tablespoonfuls of stock to the given 

 quantity ; cover the saucepan, and cook slowly three-quarters of an 

 hour. At the end of this time you will have a rich, brown sauce to 

 which you may add a teaspoonful of Worcestershire sauce, and, if 

 you like, a tablespoonful of sherry. Serve in a vegetable dish. 



Lactarius deliciosus Stewed. Wash the mushrooms ; cut them into 

 slices ; put them into a saucepan, allowing a half pint of stock to 

 each pint of mushrooms ; add a half teaspoonful of salt ; cover and 

 stew slowly for three-quarters of an hour. Put a tablespoonful of 

 butter in another saucepan, mix with it a tablespoonful of flour ; add 

 the mushrooms, stir until they have reached the boiling point ; add 

 a teaspoonful of kitchen bouquet, a dash of pepper, and serve it at 

 once in a heated vegetable dish. 



A nice combination for a steak sauce is made by using a dozen 

 good sized Lactarius deliciosus with four "beefsteak" mushrooms, 

 using then the first recipe. 



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