Parboil for ten minutes. Slit each down the side, and extract the
seeds. Prop open the cut with a bit of clean wood or china, and lay
in cold salt and water while you prepare the force-meat. Make this of
bread-crumbs, minute bits of fat pork, salt, pepper, nutmeg, parsley,
and a _very_ little onion, chopped up together. Moisten with cream, and
bind with a beaten egg. Fill the cavity in the egg-plant with this;
wind soft pack-thread about them to keep the slit shut, and bake,
putting a little water in the dripping-pan. Baste with butter and water
when they begin to cook. Test with a straw when they are tender, and
baste twice at the last with butter. Lay the egg-plants in a dish,
add two or three tablespoonfuls of cream to the gravy, thicken with a
little flour, put in a teaspoonful of chopped parsley, boil up once,
and pour over the vegetable.