Bonne Femme Soup

One taste of bonne femme soup will make you say, "Bon Appetit!"

Wash and chop four heads of lettuce finely, and put them into a saucepan with one finely chopped cucumber, one teacupful of chopped chervil leaves, and a small lump of butter, with grated nutmeg, salt and pepper to taste. Place the lid on the saucepan, and allow the contents to cool quickly for ten minutes or so; then stir in one tablespoonful of flour; pour in gradually three to four pints of veal stock, and stir it over the fire until boiling. Move the saucepan to the side of the fire, and let the soup simmer gently for half an hour. Beat the yolks of six eggs with one-half pint of cream and two teaspoonfuls of sugar, and stir it by degrees into the soup. Pour the soup into a tureen, and serve with either sippets of toast or croutons of fried bread.