• 1½ pounds (4 heads) Boston lettuce
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 4 eggs
• Salt, pepper, nutmeg
• Butter (for the mold)

Pick over and wash the lettuce leaves as for a salad, parboil them, counting 3 or 4 minutes from the time that the water returns to a boil, drain, refresh beneath cold running water, and squeeze them free of excess moisture. Chop them.

Whisk together the cream, eggs, and seasonings, stir in the lettuce, taste for seasoning, and pour into a buttered charlotte mold or deep baking dish against the bottom of which has been firmly pressed a round of buttered parchment paper (to facilitate unmolding). Cook in a 375° to 400° oven in a bain-marie for 45 to 50 minutes or until the center is firm to the touch. Run a knife around the edges before unmolding, lift off the round of parchment, and, as a garnish, serve either as is or moistened with roasting juices. As a course apart, it is attractive with a lightly buttered tomato sauce.