Almond Soup

Ingredients

• 4 lb lean beef or veal
• 1/2 a scrag of mutton
• 1 oz vermicelli
• 4 blade mace
• 6 cloves
• 1/2 lb sweet almonds
• the yolks of 6 eggs
• 1 gill thick cream
• rather more than 2 quarts of water

Instructions

1. Boil the beef, or veal, and the mutton, gently in water that will cover them, till the gravy is very strong, and the meat very tender;
2. then strain off the gravy, and set it on the fire with the specified quantities of vermicelli, mace, and cloves, to 2 quarts.
3. Let it boil till it has the flavour of the spices.
4. Have ready the almonds, blanched and pounded very fine; the yolks of the eggs boiled hard; mixing the almonds, whilst pounding, with a little of the soup, lest the latter should grow oily.
5. Pound them till they are a mere pulp, and keep adding to them, by degrees, a little soup until they are thoroughly mixed together.
6. Let the soup be cool when mixing, and do it perfectly smooth.
7. Strain it through a sieve, set it on the fire, stir frequently, and serve hot.
8. Just before taking it up, add the cream.