yellowish
hue, which subsequently changes into a dark brown. As an
aromatic, the clove is highly stimulating, and yields an
abundance of oil. There are several varieties of the clove; the
best is called the _royal clove_, which is scarce, and which is
blacker and smaller than the other kinds. It is a curious fact,
that the flowers, when fully developed, are quite inodorous, and
that the real fruit is not in the least aromatic. The form is
that of a nail, having a globular head, formed of the four
petals of the corolla, and four leaves of the calyx not
expanded, with a nearly cylindrical germen, scarcely an inch in
length, situate below.

BECHAMEL MAIGRE, or WITHOUT MEAT.

368. INGREDIENTS.--2 onions, 1 blade of mace, mushroom trimmings, a
small bunch of parsley, 1 oz. of butter, flour, 1/2 pint of water, 1
pint of milk, salt, the juice of 1 lemon, 2 eggs.

_Mode_.--Put in a stewpan the milk, and 1/2 pint of water, with the
onions, mace, mushrooms, parsley, and salt. Let these simmer gently for
20 minutes. In the mean time, rub on a plate 1 oz. of flour and butter;
put it to the liquor, and stir it well till it boils up; then place it
by the side of the fire, and continue stirring until it is perfectly
smooth. Now strain it through a sieve into a basin, after which put it
back in the stewpan, and add the lemon-juice. Beat up the yolks of the
eggs with about 4 dessertspoonfuls of milk; strain this to the sauce,
keep stirring it over the fire, but do not let it boil, lest it curdle.

_Time_.--Altogether, 3/4 hour. _Average cost_, 5d. per pint.

This is a good sauce to pour over boiled fowls when they are a bad
colour.

PICKLED BEETROOT.

369. INGREDIENTS.--Sufficient vinegar to cover the beets, 2 oz. of whole
pepper, 2 oz. of allspice to each gallon of vinegar.

_Mode_.--Wash the beets free from dirt, and be very careful not to prick
the outside skin, or they would lose their beautiful colour. Put them
into boiling water, let them simmer gently, and when about three parts
done, which will be in 1-1/2 hour, take them out and let them cool. Boil
the vinegar with pepper and allspice, in the above proportion, for ten
minutes, and when cold, pour it on the beets, which must be peeled and
cut into slices about 1/2 inch thick. Cover with bladder to exclude the
air, and in a week they will be fit for use.

_Average cost_, 3s. per gallon.

[Illustration: BLACK PEPPER.]