“From New York Jeff had brought a mammoth picnic basket. To the fried chicken ordered for dinner he added sealed jars of puree of wood pigeon, of stuffed artichokes prepared by his club chef; caviar and anchovies; a marvelous nightmare-creating fruit cake to go with the whipped cream; two quarts of a famous sherry; candied fruits in a silver box. Dinner was served not on the dining-porch but before the fire in the Barmberrys' living-room. Claire looked at the candied fruits, stared at Jeff rather queerly--as though she was really thinking of some one else--and mused:”
A cook of roughly the same moment, setting down the same dish.
6 artichokes 4 cups boiling water 2 tablespoons butter 2 tablespoons flour 1½ teaspoons salt Few grains cayenne Few gratings nutmeg 2 tablespoons Sauterne wine 1 cup scalded cream 1 egg 2 cucumbers Cook artichokes in boiling water until soft, and rub through a sieve. Melt butter, add flour and seasonings, pour on hot liquor, and cook one minute. Add cream, wine, and egg slightly beaten. Pare cucumbers, cut in one-third inch cubes, sauté in butter, and add to soup. Jerusalem artichokes are used for the making of this soup.
Sources: The passage is from Sinclair Lewis, Free Air, free to read in full at Project Gutenberg. The recipe is from Farmer, The Boston cooking-school cook book of 1896, also free in full. Both are in the public domain in the United States. The binding above is ours — slate cloth, amphora stamp.