Pommes de Terre Nouvelles Persillées (Parsley Potatoes)
Peel enough small potatoes to make about 2 cups. Put the potatoes in a saucepan with ½ teaspoon salt, 1 tablespoon butter, and 1 teaspoon parsley, and enough water or while chicken stock to half cover them. Cover the saucepan with a round of buttered paper with a tiny hole in the center to vent the Steam, and cover the pan. Bring the liquid to a boil and cook the potatoes in a moderately hot oven (375° F.) or over moderate heat on top of the stove for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the potatoes are done. If the water has not cooked away to about ¼ cup, reduce it quickly to this amount over a brisk flame. Add 1 tablespoon each of butter and chopped parsley and continue to cook until the butter is melted, rolling the potatoes in the butter and liquid in the pan. Serve the potatoes with the butter sauce.
Salade de Pissenlit (Dandelion Salad)
The dandelion greens used for salad should be very young. If a field is being plowed when the dandelions are sprouting, these are the best to pick because they have white hearts and tips of delicate green. They are tender to eat and delicate in flavor. Clean the greens well and cut them in small pieces, Just before serving toss them with French dressing made by mixing together 1 tablespoon vinegar, a little salt and freshly ground pepper, a little mustard (either dry or prepared) and 3 tablespoons olive oil.
Salade de Pissenlit Ménagère (Dandelion Salad Country Style)
Clean about 1 pound dandelion greens and cut them into small pieces. Melt 2 tablespoons pork fat in a saucepan, add ½ cup very small dice of fat salt pork or bacon and saute until the pork is golden brown. Dry the greens thoroughly, sprinkle them with the pork dice and the fat in which they were cooked and add 1 tablespoon vinegar a little salt and freshly ground pepper and 1 tablespoon chopped fines herbes (parsley, chives, tarragon and chervil). Toss all together well.
Croûtes aux Fruits Flambés
Cut stale brioches or sweet buns or coffee cake into thin slices. Place the slices in a baking pan, sprinkle them with a little sugar, and bake in a hot oven (400° F.) until golden brown.
Prepare a macédoine of fruit, using pears, apples, peaches, oranges, cherries, pineapples, strawberries or any desired combination. Combining fruits of different colors makes the dish more attractive. Have the large fruits cut into uniform pieces. Make a light sugar syrup by combining 1 ½ cups water and ½ cup sugar and boiling for 5 minutes. Add about 1 quart of mixed fruit and cook for just a minute or two—not long enough for the fruit to become soft. Add enough apricot sauce (see below) to give the juice a saucelike consistency and flavor the sauce with rum or kitsch.
Arrange the slices of browned brioche in a ring on a serving dish and fill the center with the hot fruit mixture. Pour hot rum over the top, ignite, and serve flaming.
Apricot Sauce
Wash ½ pound of apricots and then soak them for several hours in 2 cups water. Bring the water to a boil and simmer the apricots until they arc soft. Rub fruit and juice through a fine sieve, and add sugar to the purée. Cook the puree over a low flame, stirring constantly until the sugar is dissolved. If the sauce seems too thick, stir in a little hot water.
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