Preparations - Asparagus forced in French rolls

Asparagus forced in French rolls.

TAKE three French rolls, take out all the crumb, by first cutting a piece of the top-crust off; but be careful that the crust fits again the same place. Fry the rolls brown in fresh butter; then take a pint of cream, the yolks of six eggs beat fine, a little salt and nutmeg, stir them well together over a slow fire till it begins to be thick. Have ready a hundred of small grass* boiled, then save tops enough to stick the rolls with, the rest cut small and put into the cream, fill the loaves with them. Before you fry the rolls, make holes thick in the topcrust, and stick the grass in ; then lay on the piece of crust, and stick the grass in, that it may look as if it were growing. It makes a pretty side-dish at a second course.

Okay. So these probably aren't French Rolls, at least by 18th century standards. The county I live in has two grocery stores, and they're both the same chain, and the selection isn't exactly ... ample. These worked fine for the test run.

Hannah Glasse, p. 195

* Asparagus = "Sparrow Grass"