Lettuce Soup

Consomme, thyme, clove and bay leaf give rich spiciness to lettuce soup.

Cool and press out all the water from about two dozen blanched lettuces, cut them down the centres without entirely separating, dust over salt and pepper, and place them in a saucepan with half a pint of veal broth, and the same of rich fowl consomme, add a small bunch of parsley, a clove, one onion, one carrot, and a little thyme and bay leaf. Cover with a sheet of buttered paper, place the lid on the pan, and boil the lettuce gently for two hours. Take them out, drain on a cloth, cut them into halves, place them in a soup tureen, pour in the strained stock in which they were cooked, together with three pints more of boiling broth, and serve with pieces of toast floating on the top.