Pull off the lower leaves without damaging the bottoms of the artichokes, which must be turned smooth with a sharp knife; cut the artichokes into quarters, remove the fibrous parts, trim them neatly, and parboil them in water with a little salt for about five minutes; then drain them in a colander, and arrange them in circular order in a sautapan thickly spread with about two ounces of fresh butter; strew about a dessert-spoonful of pounded sugar over this; season with mignionette-pepper and salt; moisten with a glass of white wine, and a gill of good stock, and place them on a slow fire to simmer very gently for about three-quarters of an hour, taking care that they do not burn; when done, they should be of a deep-yellow colour, and nicely glazed. Dish them up in the form of a dome, showing the bottom of the artichokes only; remove any leaves that may have broken off in the sautapan; add a spoonful of brown gravy or sauce, two pats of butter and some lemon-juice; simmer this over the fire, stirring it meanwhile with a spoon; and when the butter has been mixed in with the sauce, pour it over the artichokes, and serve.