SALADS
To keep the salad-oil cruet clear and sweet add a tablespoonful of salt to a quart of oil. The oil will not taste of the salt, as the latter will not dissolve but will sink to and settle at the bottom of the cruet.
In mixing salads the oil should be added first and thoroughly spread before adding the other ingredients and mixing.
Salads which are very moist and cooling—particularly cucumber—should have an extra pinch of pepper added to counteract the chilling effect on the eater’s stomach.
Cold string-bean salad should have a double dose of vinegar, as beans possess in great degree the nutritious and healthful food salts which develop to perfection in acid.
Whenever it is possible pure lemon juice should be substituted for vinegar as being far more wholesome than the latter.
Endive—the pale, cool, succulent, curly chiccory—salad should be scalded and then chilled to make it more digestible for elderly folk, children, or weak-digestioned invalids.
Remove the meat of a lobster, reserving the creamy fat adhering to the body shell and coral. Shred the lobster with a silver fork. Cut the tender white part of celeryinto pieces the same size, allowing one-third as much as the amount of meat. Arrange the crisp leaves of lettuce in an oval platter with the larger green on the outer edge decorated with the claws. Mix the meat and celery with enough mayonnaise to moisten and heap in the centre the coral, pounded and passed through a sieve and mixed with remaining mayonnaise. Pile this red dressing on top and put on ice.
Mrs. H. J. Sower
Take cold vegetables which have been boiled, such as cauliflower, asparagus, beans, peas, and potatoes; cut into small pieces, season well with salt, paprika, and a little mayonnaise; serve on lettuce leaves with mayonnaise; garnish with hard-boiled eggs; cut into quarters and olives.
Mrs. M. Wolff
Boil one-half a dozen eggs for half hour. Take from fire and let stand in cold water until cold. Remove shells and cut in half; remove yolks, put into a bowl, and rub to a cream; add one-fourth teaspoonful dry mustard, dash of cayenne, salt, and a little lemon juice and twelve sardines scraped fine, after removing skin and bone. Mix smooth and fill empty shells or halves of eggs. Cover sides and bottom of salad dish with crisp lettuce leaves and lay the half eggs on top with mayonnaise in the centre.
Violet Sondheim
With a silver fork rub a cream cheese and a tablespoonful of butter to a paste, add salt and cayenne; if not soft enough, a little sweet cream. Make into small flat balls; on each press the two halves of an English walnut; lay on the white heart leaves of lettuce and put on ice. On the instant of serving pour over French dressing and serve with thin buttered bread which has been put in the oven and crisped.
Edna Asch
Two herring; skin and soak until salt is out; take meat off the bones; cut into small pieces, with one cold boiled potato, one pickle, one-half onion, one small apple, and a little chopped almonds. Mix well one tablespoonful vinegar, a little water, sugar, pepper; pour into salad and mix well. Dressing of salad: beat the milcher with a little pepper, vinegar, and very little sugar; chop two hard-boiled eggs, the white and yellow separate, and a little parsley.
Mrs. S. F. Breslauer
Cook the oysters in their own liquor, allowing them to boil up but once; then let get very cold, cut into small pieces (do not chop). Cut up bits of celery and about one-half cup of capers; add same to the cut-up oysters; mix all with mayonnaise. Serve on lettuce leaves with mayonnaise spread on top; garnish with olives.
Mrs. H. J. Sower
Cut grape-fruit so as to form a basket with handle on one side. Scoop out the pulp and clip edge into points with scissors. Place eight small oysters in each basket and cover them with a sauce made of equal portions of lemon juice, grated horseradish, tomato catsup, and speck mustard. Place on shaved ice on plate and serve.
Mrs. M. Mathias
One head white cabbage chopped very fine, three hard-boiled eggs; add two tablespoons salad oil, two teaspoons white sugar, one teaspoon salt and one of pepper, one tablespoon made mustard, one teacup vinegar.
Miss Ray Mayer
Cut out core of head of cabbage and chop it quite fine. For dressing break two eggs into small saucepan. Put into them one heaping teaspoon salt, one heaping teaspoon sugar, one small teaspoon mustard, two dashes of pepper. Stir this together and beat the egg a little. Add gradually (stirring all the time) a little less than one-half cupful of vinegar. Stir all together. Put in double boiler and let come gradually to a boil. Stir constantly; cook until quite thick. Take from stove. Add dash of cayenne, pepper and one scant tablespoon olive oil, one teaspoon butter, and one and one-half tablespoon rich milk or cream. Stir all together. Pour over two full teacups ofchopped cabbage and mix. Celery makes a nice addition when sliced thin and mixed with cabbage. Let stand few hours before serving.
Strain one pint of tomato juice. Add one teaspoon salt, saltspoon pepper, one teaspoon onion juice. To this add one-fourth box gelatine. Put aside for half an hour to dissolve. Stir all together, put on stove, let come to a boil, take off, and pour into small cups. Set it in a cold place to harden. Arrange two or three small lettuce leaves on a plate, turn the tomato jelly in the centre of the leaves, and use French or any other dressing.
Sour crisp apples cut in thin slices, finely chopped celery, blend lightly with a fine oil mayonnaise; garnish with feathery tops of celery and scatter with halves of English walnuts.