Celery A La Versailles Recipe

Cleanse two or three heads of well-blanched celery and trim them nicely,

leaving on just as much of the stalk as is tender; parboil the vegetable

in well-salted water, then rinse in cold water and drain on a sieve.

Have about a pint of boiling white stock ready in a saucepan, lay in the

celery, with a large onion cut in quarters and a good seasoning of salt

and pepper, and cook very gently until the celery is quite tender, then

drain the vegetable carefully on a napkin so as to absorb the moisture,

and cut each head into quarters lengthwise. Fold the pieces into as neat

a shape as possible and make them even in size; mask them entirely over

with thick bechamel sauce and allow this latter to stiffen; then dip the

pieces in beaten egg, roll thickly in fine white bread crumbs, and fry

in boiling fat. When sufficiently browned, drain on blotting-paper, and

pile up high in the center of a hot dish covered with a napkin. Garnish

with sprigs of fried parsley and serve.