• 2 packages frozen peas
• 1 large minced onion
• 1 cup milk
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 4 T butter
• 2 tsp cornstarch, dissolved in 2 T milk

Boil the peas and onion together until soft; drain and puree. Add milk, cream and butter, place in a double boiler and let come to a boil. Thicken with the cornstarch mixture, and cook gently for 5 minutes, stirring smoothly. Season with salt, pepper and paprika to taste.

• 4 minced shallots (or scallions)
• 4 T butter
• 1½ dozen oysters with their liquor (or 2 tins drained oysters)
• 2 cups milk
• 2 cups heavy cream
• Pepper and salt
• 2 glasses dry sherry
• 4 teaspoons butter

Simmer shallots in 4 tablespoons of butter for 5 minutes, add oysters and liquor. Bring to a boil, add milk and cream, salt and pepper. Simmer 2 minutes, add sherry, and again bring to the boil.

Place a teaspoon of butter in each serving bowl, pour soup over, and serve with Parmesan cheese toast.

• 1 pound fresh mushrooms, sliced thinly
• 2 cups milk
• 3 shallots, minced
• 2 T butter
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 4 egg yolks
• ½ cup sweet sherry
• salt, pepper and butter

Marinate the mushrooms in the milk, while you sauté the shallots in butter (for 5 minutes). Combine in a deep sauce-pot, add the cream, salt and pepper to taste, and hold it at a slow boil for 25 minutes.

Prepare 4 soup bowls with an egg yolk and 2 tablespoons of sherry in each. Pour the hot soup into each bowl, stirring rapidly to distribute the egg yolk and sherry into the soup. Garnish with fresh minced parsley if you wish.

• 1 package frozen squash (or 2 slices peeled pumpkin, steamed soft and pureed)
• 2 cups milk
• 2 cups heavy cream
• 1 grated white onion
• ½ cup vermicelli (optional)
• 2 T butter
• salt, pepper, minced parsley

Place squash, milk, cream and onion in the top of a double boiler, and simmer for 25 minutes, stirring to mix occasion­ally.

Meanwhile boil the vermicelli for 15 minutes in water to cover. When tender, drain thoroughly and add to the squash puree, together with 2 T butter, season to taste with a little salt and pepper, and serve with a garnish of minced parsley.

• 1 pound tiny button mushrooms
• 5 T olive oil
• 2 T butter
• 4 minced shallots
• 1 clove garlic, pressed
• 1 T minced parsley
• 6 T French (Vinaigrette) dressing
• 3 peeled sliced cold boiled potatoes
• 2 large chopped peeled ripe tomatoes
• 4 lettuce leaves

Place lettuce leaves on 4 plates, top with chopped toma­toes surrounded by sliced potatoes.

Sauté the whole tiny mushrooms in olive oil for 5 minutes. Add butter.
Mix shallots, garlic and parsley and sprinkle over mush­rooms. Cook 1 minute, remove from fire, and thoroughly stir in the Vinaigrette dressing.

Pour the hot mushroom mixture over the tomatoes and potatoes.

A marinade in which to cook vegetables for appetizers or hors d’oeuvres. Greek cuisine uses even more olive oil than Italian . . .

• 2 cups water
• ½ cup olive oil
• ¼ cup lemon juice, or white wine vinegar
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 stalk of celery
• 1 tsp minced parsley

Combine in a saucepan, add a package of almost any frozen vegetable (or 1½ cups suitable raw vegetable) and cook gently for 15 minutes. Chill the vegetable in the cooking liquor overnight before serving.

Suitable vegetables: artichoke hearts, French-style beans, tiny Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, celery root, mixed veg­etables.

A thin pancake, rolled around creamed seafood, topped with Parmesan cheese, lightly broiled before serving.

These are not too difficult to prepare—and sometimes a double portion might take the place of an entree.

• 1 cooked lobster tail, or a small tin of lobster meat
• ½ cup fresh crabmeat, or a cleaned medium-sized tin
• 6 cooked shrimps, coarsely cut
• 6 scallops, coarsely cut
• 4 Cherrystone clams
• 4 oysters
• 4 mushrooms, chopped
• 1 cup mushroom soup, condensed
• ¼ cup Madeira, Marsala or dry sherry
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• ½ tsp paprika
• 1 tsp chopped chives
• 1 T minced parsley
• 1 T butter
• 1 T cream
• salt, fresh pepper, grated Parmesan cheese
• 4 thin pancakes or 4 large scallop shells

Fruits de mer literally means “fruits of the sea.” While it is usually served in a crepe (thin French pancake), it may also appear in scallop shells, buttered ramekins, or simply atop a buttered toast triangle.

Heat oven to 500.

Combine fish and shellfish with condensed mushroom soup, chopped fresh mushrooms, cream and wine, stir constantly and bring to high heat, then place over boiling water in a double boiler. Simmer gently while you prepare pancakes from any packaged mix. The pancakes should be very thin, cooked individually in butter, in a small skillet. Set them aside to keep warm.

Add all other ingredients (seasonings) to fish mixture and continue simmering for 5 minutes, while you butter a long shallow baking dish.

Place the pancakes one at a time: that is, place one at the end of the dish, spoon some of the creamed mixtures into the center and fold over both pancake edges to cover the filling. Place the next pancake beside the first, etc. until all four crepes have been filled and are neatly distributed along the baking dish.

Cover with the remaining sauce, sprinkle generously with grated Parmesan cheese, and broil for 3 minutes or until tops are golden brown.

• ½ pound raw cleaned shrimps (or a thawed frozen package)
• ¼ cup butter
• 4 large fresh mushrooms, coarsely chopped
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1 tsp soy sauce
• ½ tsp salt
• 1/8 tsp Nepal pepper (or ¼ tsp black pepper)
• 1 tsp paprika

Sauté shrimps in butter for 4 minutes, add mushrooms and cook 10 minutes over gentle heat.

Separately combine sour cream and seasonings, color with the paprika and heat.
Combine shrimps and sauce; cook gently for 10 minutes or until thick and velvety.
Spoon the mixture into 4 buttered ramekins or large scallop shells, dust with grated Parmesan, and brown for a minute under broiler flame.

• 1 celery root, scraped and cut in julienne strips
• 1 tsp salt
• ½ tsp pepper
• 2 T tarrgon vinegar

Mix, cover tightly, and chill overnight

Sauce:

• 2 T heavy cream
• 1 tsp dry mustard
• 1 egg yolk
• 1 T olive oil
• 1 tsp Worcestershire Sauce
• 1 tsp meat stock (Bovril, Kitchen Bouquet)
• ½ tsp salt
• ¼ tsp pepper
• 1 phony of brandy (3/4 ounce)

Mix the sauce thoroughly. Drain the celeriac and add to the sauce, turning gently to coat each sliver.

To serve: place a lettuce leaf on each plate, top with a slice of ripe tomato, and cover with the celeriac. Dust with paprika.

A white bean salad, usually pea or Navy beans, but a quick substitute is chickpeas (also called Garbanzos beans).

• 1 can chickpeas, drained
• 2 white onions, peeled and very thinly sliced
• ½ cup Vinaigrette dressing
• ¼ cup finely minced fresh parsley

Place a layer of chickpeas in a dish, cover with some of the sliced onions and parsley, and repeat until all ingredients are used. Pour Vinaigrette dressing over the dish, and mix very thoroughly. Chill overnight in the refrigerator.