1404 | Eggs à la Darling.
—Provide one dozen of very tender, sound celery knots, peel and thoroughly wash them twice. Cut them in quarters, then place them in a saucepan with one ounce of butter, a quart of white broth (No. 99), a sprig of thyme, three cloves, and twenty whole peppers, place the pan on the hot range and cook for sixty minutes. Strain through a sieve into another saucepan, seeing that everything is strained except the cloves and peppers. Dilute a teaspoonful of corn starch into half a cup of cold milk, and gradually add it to the purée, sharply stirring meanwhile. Cook for three minutes longer. Have six hard shelled boiled eggs ready, then place the purée right in the centre of a hot dish, giving it a dome shape. Gently arrange the six eggs around it, leaning slightly against the dome as a support to the column. Lay a thin slice of truffle in the centre of each, then pour a gill of hot Madeira sauce (No. 185), around the dish, but not over the eggs, and then serve.