Chapter M: E. James: ‘How to Decorate our Ceilings, Walls, and Floors.’ (24)

(_b_) A la Russe.--Cut some raw potatoes into dice, after washing and peeling, and fry them in olive oil, with half the quantity of mushrooms finely minced.

(_c_) Au Gratin.--Put a few spoonfuls of good white sauce into a stewpan with a ¼ lb. grated Parmesan cheese, and half that quantity of butter, also the yolks of 4 eggs, a small piece of glaze, lemon juice, pepper and salt, and nutmeg; stir all this over the fire until well mixed, but it must not boil. Cut some potatoes into slices, stick some well-pointed three-cornered croutons of fried bread round the edge of the dish, standing up to form a border, and place a close row of slices of potato within it, and a layer over the centre of the dish: spread a layer of the cheese preparation over them, then repeat the potatoes and mixture till the dish is complete, and smooth some of the sauce over the top. Shake breadcrumbs and grated Parmesan over the surface, so as to quite cover it, and put the whole into the oven for about ¼ hour, or until warmed through, and a nice colour.

(_d_) Balls.--Take ½ doz. potatoes, boil them, pass them through a sieve, and work into them, in a bowl, 1 gill of cream and the yolks of 3 eggs; add pepper, salt, and nutmeg to taste, and some parsley finely chopped. When they are well mixed and smooth, take them up by tablespoonfuls, roll each in a ball, flatten it, and flour it slightly. Lay them all in a sautépan with plenty of butter melted, and cook them slowly. Turn them over when one side is done, and serve hot as soon as both sides are coloured.

(_e_) Cut very thin slices right across the largest potatoes; lay the slices in flat layers on a small plate that will bear the heat of the oven. Spread fresh butter freely over the potatoes; then add another layer, and so on until the potatoes are about 4 in. high. Give ½ lb. fresh butter to 2 large potatoes. Bake until the potatoes are tender, about ½ hour, in a quick oven.

(_f_) Fried.--Pare some potatoes so as to give each the form of a cylinder, then cut each cylinder in slices ⅛ in. thick. By this means all the pieces of potato will be the same size. Dry them thoroughly in a napkin; put them in the frying basket, and fry them a light colour in plenty of lard; drain, sprinkle freely with salt, and serve.

(_g_) Rissoles.--Take cold meat, veal or ham, cut it small and season with pepper, salt, cut pickles, and a little parsley; moisten with a little stock. Mash some potatoes and make them into a paste with the yolks of 1 or 2 eggs. Put some of the seasoned meat on one half, and fold over like a puff. Fry a light brown.

(_h_) Stewed.--Rub a saucepan with a clove of garlic, put 2 oz. butter into it, and when it is melted add 6 potatoes, peeled, and cut in quarters. Put in a little hot water, pepper and salt to taste, a small quantity of grated nutmeg, some minced parsley, and the juice of ½ lemon. Let the whole stew slowly till the potatoes are quite done.

(_i_) Cakes.--The following is an old country recipe for potato cakes: 1 lb. mashed potatoes, 2 oz. butter, 1 lb. flour, ½ teacupful cream, a pinch of salt, and 1 egg; roll out the cakes thin, and bake in a quick oven.

(_j_) Mashed.--Boil some potatoes, and pass them through a coarse hair sieve. Put them into a saucepan with a good lump of butter, and salt to taste; add a little milk, and work them well with a spoon on a slow fire for some minutes, adding small quantities of milk as they get dry.

(_k_) Calecannon.--Potatoes and greens mixed together, is an agreeable mixture and forms a pleasant change. The greens and potatoes are boiled separately, the former squeezed, when sufficiently dressed, quite dry and chopped up very fine; the latter mashed, the chopped greens added to them, with butter, pepper, and salt to taste, and the yolk of 1 egg or more. A pudding dish should be well buttered, the mixture put into it, and placed in a hot oven for about 6-7 minutes; the contents of the basin then turned out and served on a vegetable dish.

_Pumpkin._--Take a slice of pumpkin, remove the rind, and cut the pulp into large dice, having first removed the pips. Put them into a saucepan with a piece of butter, pepper and salt to taste, and a little water. Let it stew slowly till quite done, then either mash it up with a spoon or pass it through a sieve. Mix a little flour and butter into a saucepan, add the pumpkin pulp and a little milk or cream, also a pinch of sugar and a little grated nutmeg. Work it well on the fire, and serve with sippets of bread, fried in butter, round it.

_Red Cabbage._--(_a_) Wash, trim, and cut up a large cabbage into 5 or 6 slices. Put them into boiling water for ¼ hour; then stew them gently in broth till quite tender; drain, and serve with reduced brown gravy, flavoured with a dash of lemon juice or vinegar. If very small, they may be dressed whole in the same manner. (_b_) A Flemish recipe: Wash and trim a cabbage, put it into a saucepan, with sufficient cold water to cover it; let it come gradually to the boil, then add 4 or 5 apples peeled, cored, and quartered, a small piece of butter, pepper and salt; stew gently till quite tender, strain, add to the liquor a thickening of butter and flour, 1 teaspoonful vinegar, and 1 of currant or gooseberry jelly. Dish the cabbage with the apples round it, and the sauce over. (_c_) Having well washed the cabbage, shred it very small, and put it, with a slice of ham minced, into a stewpan with some melted grease (from the pot-au-feu), add an onion stuck with cloves, pepper and salt; simmer gently--tossing frequently--till quite tender. Just before serving remove the onion and cloves, add the yolks of 2 eggs, and 1 teaspoonful vinegar; serve very hot with fried sausages.

_Salsify._--(_a_) Boiled.--Scrape the roots, cut them in short lengths, and throw them into vinegar and water as they are being done. Boil them till tender in salted water, drain them, toss them into a saucepan with a piece of butter, a little lemon juice and some minced parsley, add salt, and serve.

(_b_) Fried.--When boiled, split each piece in half, and steep them for ¼ hour in tarragon vinegar with pepper and salt, then drain, dip them in batter, and fry them in hot lard. Serve with fried parsley.

(_c_) Scolloped.--Boil the salsify as in (_a_), cut them into pieces ½ in. long. Add some cream to the sauce instead of lemon juice and parsley, with pepper and a little anchovy sauce; put in the salsify, give them a toss in the sauce, then put them into scollop shells, squeeze a few drops of lemon juice on each, sprinkle plenty of breadcrumbs over, and put the shells in the oven to brown.

_Scorzonera._--(_a_) Roots should be prepared by washing, scraping, and topping, as are carrots; then put them in cold water tied in small bundles, and boiled till tender, in the same way as asparagus, serve on toast with butter sauce; this for plain boiling.

(_b_) Fried.--Prepare as in (_a_), and boil till tender; then dip in a batter made as follows: Beat 2 eggs with ¼ lb. flour, 1 saltspoonful baking powder, and 1 teacupful water until as smooth as possible, adding the water by degrees; season with salt and pepper. This batter is very good for frying any vegetables.

(_c_) With Cheese.--Mix some grated Parmesan with butter which has been melted in white sauce, or plain cream, as preferred. Boil the scorzonera roots, and lay them neatly in a dish, pour over the sauce, which has been thoroughly heated, but not allowed to boil, sprinkle it well all over with grated Parmesan, then brown it in the oven, or with a salamander.

_Seakale._--(_a_) Trim it and tie it up in bundles, and lay them in plenty of salted water, boiling fast; when quite done, drain them well, and serve with a plain salad dressing in a boat, or with white sauce over. _Salad Dressing_: 1 pinch of salt, 1 of pepper, 2 tablespoonfuls olive oil, 1 of tarragon vinegar, and 1 teaspoonful mustard. Take the ingredients in the above proportions, and beat them smooth. _White Sauce_: Put into a saucepan, with 1 pint white stock, a small onion, one clove, a blade of mace, and a faggot of herbs; boil for 1 hour, strain, thicken with 1 dessertspoonful arrowroot, boil up again, and add by degrees ½ pint cream.

(_b_) Choose short, thick kale, trim it carefully and tie it in bundles, boil in water with plenty of salt; when tender, drain it carefully and lay it in a dish on toasted bread dipped in the water the kale has been boiled in; serve with melted butter sauce. Finely grated cheese sifted over the kale is considered by many an improvement. In this case the kale should be browned with a salamander before being sent to table.

_Sorrel._--Pick and wash a quantity of sorrel, put it into a saucepan with a little water and some salt, when thoroughly done drain off all the moisture and pass the sorrel through a hair sieve. Amalgamate a piece of butter and 1 tablespoonful flour in a saucepan on the fire, put in the sorrel and stir well for some minutes, then add pepper and salt to taste, and the yolk of 1 egg beaten up with a little cold stock and strained.

_Spinach._--(_a_) Pick and wash perfectly clean 2-3 lb. spinach, put it into a saucepan with a little water, and let it boil till quite done. Turn it out on a hair sieve to drain, throw the water away, and pass the spinach through the sieve. Put a good lump of butter into a saucepan with a pinch of flour, mix well, add the spinach, pepper and salt to taste, and a little milk; stir well and serve.

(_b_) Mashed.--Pick and wash the spinach very carefully, and then put it into boiling salted water, and boil 10 minutes, or until quite tender; drain, then pass it through a hair sieve, season with pepper, salt, and put it into a stewpan with a piece of butter and a few tablespoonfuls of cream or Béchamel sauce; stir over the fire until quite hot, and serve either with cutlets, fricandeau, grenadins, poached eggs, &c., or in a vegetable dish with fried sippets of bread.

_Tomatoes._--(_a_) Baked.--Cut 6 tomatoes in halves, remove the pips, and fill the inside with a mixture of breadcrumbs, pepper, and salt, in due proportions; place a small piece of butter on each half tomato, and lay them then close together in a well-buttered tin. Bake in a slow oven about ½ hour, and serve. They may be eaten hot or cold.

(_b_) Forced.--Prepare the following forcemeat: 2 oz. mushrooms minced small, 2 shallots, likewise minced, a small quantity of parsley, a slice of lean ham chopped fine, a few savoury herbs, and a little cayenne and salt. Put all these ingredients into a saucepan with a lump of butter, and stew all together until quite tender, taking care that they do not burn. Put it by to cool, and then mix with them some breadcrumbs and the well-beaten yolks of 2 eggs. Choose large tomatoes as nearly of the same size as possible; cut a slice from the stalk end of each, and take out carefully the seeds and juice; fill them with the mixture which has already been prepared, strew them over with breadcrumbs and some melted butter, and bake them in a quick oven until they assume a rich colour.

(_c_) Meat Pudding.--Cover the bottom of a pudding dish with breadcrumbs; put on them a layer of underdone meat, cut in thin slices; then a layer of tomatoes, peeled and also sliced; to 1 pint add 1 even tablespoonful sugar; then a few bits of butter, pepper, salt, and a little onion if agreeable; then breadcrumbs, meat, and tomatoes, repeating until the dish is full; put over all a layer of breadcrumbs, and bake until a light brown. Serve hot.

(_d_) Stuffed.--Dip some tomatoes in hot water, peel them, cut them in half, and remove the pips. Rub a baking sheet with shallot, butter it well, and lay the tomatoes in it, filling each half with the following composition: 2 parts breadcrumbs, 1 part ham finely minced, and, according to taste, parsley and sweet herbs also finely minced, and pepper and salt. Put a small piece of butter on each half tomato, and bake them ¼ hour. Have ready some round pieces of buttered toast; on each of these put a half tomato, and serve.

_Truffles._--First prepare the sauce. Put into a small clean stewpan 2 oz. butter, set on the stove, and slice into it 1 onion, 1 carrot, and a little lean ham cut into squares, fry altogether of a light brown. Now stir into these 1 dessertspoonful flour, add 1 bay leaf, a sprig of thyme, a few sprays of parsley, 3 cloves, a small blade of mace, a little salt and cayenne, and ½ pint of stock. Mix well together with a wooden spoon, and set on the fire to simmer ½ hour, taking off the scum as it rises. Next cut from a square loaf a thick slice of bread; it should be quite 1 in. thick. Scoop out the middle, so as to make a hollow about half-way through the bread, and fry in plenty of clean lard to a golden brown. Drain on a sieve and keep warm. Now wash 6 large truffles, and cut into thin slices, put them into a sautépan or frying pan, with a little butter and a small quantity of minced parsley and onion, fry gently about 10 minutes, taking care they do not get dry when done. Place the truffles in the hollow of the bread, strain the sauce over, put some of the ham on the corners of the bread, and sprinkle a little chopped hard-boiled eggs over the truffles. This makes a very pretty and savoury dish for the second course, and is a good way of finishing a bottle of truffles that may have been required for any other purpose.

_Turnips._--(_a_) Boiled.--Take small new turnips, peel, and boil them in salted water; drain them thoroughly. Melt 1 oz. butter in a saucepan, add to it 1 dessertspoonful flour, pepper, salt, grated nutmeg, and a small quantity of milk or cream; put in the turnips; simmer gently a few minutes, and serve.

(_b_) Mashed.--Take new or old turnips, pare them, and put them to boil in salted water; when done drain them, squeeze out the water from them, and pass them through a hair sieve. Put the pulp into a saucepan with a piece of butter, pepper, salt, and grated nutmeg; stir well, and moisten with a little milk or cream. Then work them with a spoon on a slow fire until sufficiently dried up.

_Turnip Tops._--(_a_) When green vegetables are scarce, many people find desirable dishes made from turnip tops, if properly and presentably cooked. The growth of these turnip tops may be forced by placing the roots in a greenhouse, hot frame, or any warm place, when the tops will soon be seen to begin to sprout, and will prove far more delicate and edible than the ordinary turnip tops grown in a garden or field from turnips. When the tops are quite small and almost white (which they will be if the roots are covered over with straw) they may be dressed to resemble seakale, with white sauce, and will be found very delicious, having no strong turnipy flavour. When grown larger and the leaves are green, the stalks get fibrous and stringy; the leaves should then be stripped off and boiled with plenty of water. When sufficiently done, strain and squeeze off the water as much as possible, mince them fine, and put them through a sieve as is done with spinach. Serve very hot with sippets of fried toast, or with gravy if preferred.

(_b_) Take a quantity of turnip tops, picked clean and washed, put them in a saucepan with a little water. When thoroughly done put them on a hair sieve to drain. When all the water is thoroughly drained from them, pass them through the sieve. Mix in a saucepan 1 tablespoonful flour with about 1 oz. butter, add the turnip-top purée, stir well, put in pepper and salt to taste, and serve hot in a dish garnished with fried sippets of bread, and lay on the top ½ doz. poached eggs. Fill a shallow sautépan with water and sufficient salt, add a little vinegar, a few peppercorns, and some leaves of parsley. When the water is on the point of boiling (it should never be allowed to boil) break 2 or more eggs into it (according to the size of the pan), and put on the cover. When done, take them out carefully, brush them clean on both sides with a paste brush, and cut each egg with a round fluted paste cutter, so as to get them of a uniform shape.

_Vegetable Marrow._--(_a_) Parboil 2 moderate-sized marrows, cut in 4 lengthwise, drain them carefully, and dispose them on a well-buttered dish, previously well rubbed with shallot or slightly rubbed with garlic. Sprinkle plenty of grated Parmesan over them, pepper and salt, and grated nutmeg; put a few pieces of butter on the top, and over all a good sprinkling of very fine baked breadcrumbs. Bake about 20 minutes, and serve in the dish.

(_b_) Stuffed.--Pound to a paste in a mortar, slightly rubbed with garlic, equal parts veal and ham; then pass them through a wire sieve, and return them to the mortar. Work into the paste thus obtained ¼ its bulk of butter, and about the same quantity of breadcrumbs, with the yolks of 1 or more eggs, according to quantity. Add some minced parsley, and according to taste, pepper, salt, spices, and powdered sweet herbs. Cut in half, lengthways, 2 average-sized vegetable marrows; take out the inside, fill each half with the stuffing, and wrap it up in a piece of white paper well buttered and tied with string; lay them all close together in a buttered tin, cover this up with a plate or another tin, and put it into the oven. When you judge the marrows are quite done, take them carefully out of the papers, lay them on a dish, and serve with a small quantity of well-flavoured clear gravy or some tomato sauce poured over them.

=Salads= (Salade, Mayonnaise).--These consist of uncooked vegetables dressed with a piquant liquor in which oil and vinegar play a prominent part.

_Dressings._--The following are favourite recipes for salad dressings.

(_a_) 2 teaspoonfuls mixed mustard, 2 tablespoonfuls salad oil; mix well, and add 1 teaspoonful powdered sugar, 4 tablespoonfuls good cream, 2 tablespoonfuls vinegar. Sufficient for a salad for 4 persons.

(_b_) 1 teaspoonful unmade mustard, the same of sugar, 1 saltspoonful salt, and the yolk of a fresh egg, beaten together; mix gradually 1 tablespoonful cream or milk, 2 of vinegar, and 1 or 2 of salad oil according to taste, with a little cayenne.

(_c_) The yolks of 2 hard-boiled eggs, cream, vinegar, pepper, salt, and mustard. Rub the yolks smoothly in a mortar, and add gently 4-5 large tablespoonfuls cream, a small teaspoonful of made mustard, pepper, salt, and lastly 2 large tablespoonfuls vinegar. Mix well, and pour over the salad.

(_d_) Put the salad into a bowl after being well drained, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and pour over 2 tablespoonfuls oil to every tablespoonful of vinegar. The vinegar should always be added at the last. On the Continent people often add a spoonful of powdered sugar to this mixture.

(_e_) 3 tablespoonfuls oil to 1 of vinegar is a better proportion, and yolks of eggs are not amiss in any salad.

(_f_) Put the lettuce, which should not be wet, in the salad bowl. Take some sprigs of tarragon, some chervil, 1 or 2 small chives, and a little bit of parsley, cut into small pieces, mix them with the lettuce, and sprinkle with a saltspoonful of salt and some pepper. Put into a tablespoon 1 mustardspoonful of mustard, fill up the spoon with vinegar, stir well, and pour over the lettuce, then add 3 tablespoonfuls best salad oil, and mix well. This is better than mixing the ingredients first. The chervil and tarragon should never be omitted. The leaves of the common dandelion are also a good addition to salad, as they have an agreeable, slightly bitter flavour.

(_g_) The yolk of 1 hard-boiled egg, 1 teaspoonful mustard, 2 tablespoonfuls oil, 1 teaspoonful tarragon vinegar, 1 teaspoonful common ditto, ½ teaspoonful sugar. Rub the egg very smooth, add a little salt, then the mustard, then the oil by degrees, working it with the rest till quite smooth; then add the cream, and lastly the vinegar.

(_h_) Boil 2 eggs hard, pound up the yolks with 2 tablespoonfuls vinegar, 1 saltspoon salt, 1 of pepper, and the same of mustard. When well mixed, add 4 tablespoonfuls oil, and the white of the eggs chopped very fine.

(_i_) Mix the yolks of 2 unboiled eggs in a basin with a teaspoonful of salt; whisk; then add, by small quantities, 1 pint finest Florence oil (salad); mix thoroughly, and add 1 tablespoonful made mustard, 3 tablespoonfuls vinegar, 1 of tarragon vinegar, 1 dessertspoonful elder vinegar; add to the whole a small spoonful of pounded sugar, a little cayenne, and a small quantity of salt. Bottle for use.

(_j_) Carefully strain the yolks of 4 eggs into a basin, place it in a cool place, or, if necessary, on ice; add a teaspoonful of salt, mix well; then proceed to pour in, a few drops at a time, some salad oil, without ceasing to stir the mixture. When one spoonful of oil is well incorporated with the yolks of egg, put in, in the same manner, a teaspoonful of tarragon vinegar; keep on adding oil and vinegar in these proportions until you get a sauce the consistency of very thick cream, then add white pepper to taste, and more salt if necessary.

The subjoined comprise all the vegetables, &c., ordinarily employed in salads.

_Artichoke_ (de Topinambour).--Take some cold boiled Jerusalem artichokes and some onions, slice them, and pour over them a mixture of oil, vinegar, pepper and salt, garnish with cold boiled carrots cut to the shape of olives, and with some pickled cauliflower and beetroot.

_Asparagus_ (d’asperges).--Scrape the end of each head with the back of a knife, and tie them in small bundles of 1 doz. heads each, cut off all the part of the asparagus which cannot be eaten, put them into a panful of fast-boiling water, with plenty of salt, and in about 10 minutes they will be done. Drain them, and leave them to get cold, then dispose them on a dish previously rubbed with a little shallot, and pour over them the following sauce: Strain the yolks of 2 eggs into a basin, mix with them a teaspoonful of salt, and then, without ceasing to stir, pour in, drop by drop, 4 tablespoonfuls oil and 1 of French white vinegar, adding the vinegar at intervals during the process of pouring the oil. Lastly, stir in a little pepper; garnish the dish with slices of hard-boiled eggs.

_Beetroot_ (de Betterave).--(_a_) Take a well-washed beetroot, either bake it in the oven, or put it into a saucepan of boiling water and boil for 1-2 hours, according to size; when cold, peel and slice it, arrange the slices in a dish, and pour over the dressings.

(_b_) Arrange the slices of beetroot with alternate slices of hard-boiled eggs, pour over them a mixture of ¾ oil and ¼ plain vinegar, duly flavoured with pepper and salt; garnish the dish with small button onions, and with sprigs of chervil and tarragon.

(_c_) Slice a cold boiled or baked beetroot, arrange it in slices overlapping each other, pour over a mixture made with cream, a very little vinegar, pepper, and salt; garnish the dish with horseradish and hard-boiled eggs, whites and yolks separate.

_Cabbage_ (de Chou).--(_a_) Wash the greens well, and take off the outside leaves. Tie them in small bunches, and boil in plenty of fast-boiling water, drain them in front of the fire, and serve cold with a mixture of 3 parts oil, 1 of vinegar, pepper and salt to taste, poured over them.

(_b_) Take some cold boiled Brussels sprouts, and put them into a dish previously rubbed with garlic or shallot, pour over them a salad mixture made with 3 parts oil and 1 of vinegar, pepper and salt to taste; garnish with pickled beetroot and minced sweet herbs.

(_c_) Chop up some greens or cabbage, and serve as in (_b_); garnish with slices of sausage and pickled gherkins.

_Carrots_ (de Carottes).--Slice some cold boiled carrots, arrange them in a dish with a dressing made with cream and lemon juice, or oil and vinegar, with pepper and salt; garnish the dish with hard-boiled eggs shredded, with minced parsley and capers, and chopped olives.

_Cauliflower_ (de Chou-fleur).--(_a_) Boil a cauliflower in salted water till tender, but not overdone; when cold cut up neatly in small sprigs. Beat up together 3 tablespoonfuls oil, and 1 of tarragon vinegar, with pepper and salt to taste; rub the dish very slightly with garlic, arrange the pieces of cauliflower on it, strew over them some capers, a little tarragon, chervil, and parsley, all finely minced, and the least bit of dried thyme and marjoram powdered. Pour the oil and vinegar over, and serve.

(_b_) Pick off the flower from 1 or 2 cold boiled cauliflowers, dispose them in a dish, and pour over them some dressing made of cream and lemon juice, or oil and vinegar with pepper and salt to taste; garnish with minced parsley, powdered sweet herbs, capers, and, if liked, anchovies and stoned olives.

_Celery_ (de Céleri).--(_a_) Take the inner and tenderest stalks of 3 heads celery, cut them in strips 1 in. long, and about the thickness of young French beans. Rub the salad bowl slightly with shallot or even garlic. Mix the yolks of 2 hard-boiled eggs with 3 tablespoonfuls salad oil, 1 of tarragon vinegar, the least bit of flour of mustard, and pepper and salt to taste. Add the celery to this sauce, turn it well over, garnish with the hard-boiled whites, and if at hand 2 truffles (fresh, not preserved), either minced or sliced.

(_b_) Cut up some raw or cold boiled celery into convenient lengths, put these into a salad dish, and mix with them some salad dressing, to which a small quantity of mustard has been added, garnish with boiled onions, chopped beetroot, and shredded whites and yolks of eggs, and cold boiled carrots cut to the shape of olives.

_Cucumber_ (de Concombre).--Pare off the rind of a good-sized cucumber, slice it as thinly as possible and arrange it on a dish; sprinkle with pepper and salt; pour over it a mixture made with 3 parts oil and 1 of vinegar.

_Egg_ (aux Œufs).--Wash and bone some anchovies, divide them into fillets the whole length of the fish. Wash, dry, and divide into quarters some small lettuces. Boil some eggs (6-8) hard, slice one-third of them, and chop up quite finely the rest, yolks and whites separately; arrange these symmetrically in the centre of a dish well raised in the centre, put the fillets of anchovies on the top so as to form squares, with a caper in the centre of each square. Make a border with the quarters of lettuce and the slices of egg, arranged alternately; sprinkle over the border some finely shred chervil, and pour over either a mayonnaise sauce or a mixture of 3 parts oil and 1 of tarragon vinegar, with pepper and salt to taste.

_Endive_ (de Chicorée).--(_a_) Wash 2 heads endive, drain them thoroughly, and cut them up. Wash and cut up in small dice 1 head of celery. Work to a smooth paste in a basin the yolk of 1 hard-boiled egg, 1 teaspoonful mustard, white pepper and salt to taste, and the least bit of cayenne; add by degrees 3 dessertspoonfuls cream, 1 of tarragon vinegar, and 1 of plain vinegar; stir till quite smooth, add the salad, work it well, and garnish with pickled gherkins, hard-boiled eggs and beetroot. The salad should be mixed just before serving.

(_b_) Pick off the outer leaves of 1 or 2 heads of endive, and wash them well; when perfectly dry mix with them some salad dressing, made quite smooth with the yolks of 2 hard-boiled eggs, oil, vinegar, pepper and salt, and, if liked, a little mustard.

(_c_) The same may be made in a dish previously rubbed with garlic or shallot, and with dressing, without the eggs, or with cream, vinegar, pepper and salt; it may be garnished with beetroot and chopped celery, and hard-boiled eggs.

_Fish_ (au Poisson).--Cut into neat collops any remnants of fish, steep them for 1 hour in a mixture of 2 parts oil and 1 part vinegar, with a few slices of onions, a sprig of thyme, pepper and salt, and parsley. Make a foundation of lettuce, cut into convenient pieces, in a dish, dispose the fish over it, ornament with beetroot and hard-boiled eggs, and serve with the following plain mayonnaise sauce. Put the yolks of 4 eggs into a basin, add salt to taste, then proceed to pour in, a few drops at a time, some salad oil, without ceasing to stir the mixture. When about 1 tablespoonful oil is well incorporated with the yolks of eggs, put in, in the same manner, 1 teaspoonful French vinegar. Keep on adding oil and vinegar in these proportions until you get a sauce the consistency of very thick cream. Then add white pepper to taste, and mix well.

_French Bean_ (de Haricots).--String some French beans and boil them whole in plenty of salted water, when cold dress them with oil, vinegar, pepper, and salt, some tarragon and capers finely minced, and garnish with hard-boiled eggs, anchovies, and beetroot. The dish must be well rubbed with a shallot.

_Game_ (au Gibier).--Cold grouse, partridge, or pheasant may be used in this way. Cut them into joints, and put them into a pie-dish; season with salt and pepper, and pour over them the juice of a lemon and about 2 tablespoonfuls very fresh salad oil; let them remain in this for 3-4 hours. Having cut up and well dried a fresh lettuce, place it in a flat dish, and arrange the pieces of game which have been in the oil and lemon juice neatly in the centre; over the game pour a salad sauce, which should be of the consistency of thick cream. Ornament the top with slices of hard-boiled egg, fillets of well-washed and scraped anchovies, and garnish with tiny sprigs of parsley. Cold chicken, or the white meat from a cold turkey cut into small pieces, may be treated in this way.

_Green Pea_ (aux petits Pois).--Put some cold boiled peas--marrowfats are best--into a dish previously rubbed with a shallot, and pour over them a mayonnaise sauce or a plain salad dressing, and garnish the peas with small heads of green mint.

_Lettuce_ (de Laitue).--(_a_) Wash 2 heads lettuce, dry them thoroughly, and break the leaves or cut them into convenient pieces; put the yolks of 2 hard-boiled eggs into a basin with 1 teaspoonful mustard, pepper and salt to taste, and 1 tablespoonful oil; work the mixture into a smooth paste, and add consecutively 3 tablespoonfuls oil and 2 of tarragon vinegar, then add a handful of garden cress, a little tarragon finely minced, and the whites of the eggs coarsely chopped. The mixture must be well stirred. Lastly add the lettuce, turn it well over, and serve.

(_b_) Wash 2 heads lettuce, dry them thoroughly, and put them into the salad bowl. Take some sprigs of tarragon and chervil, 1 or 2 small chives, and a little bit of parsley, mince them finely, mix them with the lettuce, and sprinkle with a tablespoonful of salt, and some pepper. Put into a tablespoon 1 mustardspoonful of mustard, fill up the spoon with vinegar, stir well, and pour over the lettuce, then add 3 tablespoonfuls best salad oil, and mix well.

(_c_) Take a lettuce, remove the outer leaves, wash, drain it thoroughly, and cut it into small pieces; take some fresh-cut garden cress (also washed and drained), and a few spring onions, put them in a salad bowl, with the following dressing: Take the yolks of 2 hard-boiled eggs, and rub them quite smooth in a mortar, add a teaspoonful of mustard, a little cayenne, with black pepper and salt to taste, and 4-5 tablespoonfuls cream; lastly, add a tablespoonful of tarragon vinegar; mix well, and it is ready.

_Lobster_ (de Homards).--(_a_) Cut a number of pieces of the flesh of a lobster into convenient sizes. Have some well-flavoured aspic jelly, just melt it, pour a layer of it ¼ in. thick, into a border mould; when it begins to set, arrange the pieces of lobster, reserving 2 or 3 of the best, in the mould, with leaves of tarragon; fill up with jelly, and lay the mould on ice to set. Cut the remainder of the lobster, and dress it with lettuce, as an ordinary salad. Turn out the border on a dish, fill the inside with salad heaped up, lay the reserved pieces of lobster on the top, and ornament with any design made of whites and yolks of eggs, truffles, and aspic jelly, all finely minced.

(_b_) Take 1 or 2 fresh lobsters, cut up all the flesh into convenient pieces, reserving the soft part to mix with the dressing, and a few of the best pieces to ornament the salad. Prepare some lettuces, as for an ordinary salad, mix the lobster and lettuce together with a fork in the bowl, and pour over it a mixture made as for asparagus salad, to which has been added the soft part of the lobster and a little mustard. Garnish the dish with the pieces of lobster reserved for the purpose, with the spawn, and with slices of hard-boiled egg, sprigs of chervil, or tarragon.

_Meat_ (Vinaigrette).--Cut some cold meat into neat slices, brush them over with oil, season with salt and pepper to taste, sprinkle a little vinegar over, and dispose them on a dish, upon a foundation of lettuce cut into convenient pieces, and ornament with hard-boiled eggs, beetroot, and pickles. Serve with plain tartare sauce, viz. put the yolks of 4 eggs into a basin with salt and mustard to taste, and stir olive oil over them, 1 tablespoonful at a time; after each tablespoonful oil put in 1 teaspoonful tarragon vinegar. Keep on stirring this until the sauce is of the desired consistency; then add pepper, the least bit of cayenne, and 2 shallots, or a few pickled gherkins or onions chopped very finely.

_Onion_ (d’oignons).--Cut up a cold boiled Spanish onion and some cold boiled potatoes, mix with them a dressing made with oil, vinegar, pepper and salt; sprinkle over some powdered sweet herbs, and garnish with pickled red cabbage, hard-boiled eggs, stoned and chopped olives, and capers.

_Oyster_ (des Huîtres).--For this dish some little pail-shaped white china cups must be procured, in size about the same as a ramakin case: 6 make a pretty dish, 1 in the centre and 5 round it. In each cup place an oyster, free from beard, or if very small 2 oysters may be used. Above add 1-2 teaspoonfuls salad, cut very small, and with which some good creamy salad-sauce has been mixed. Each cup must be differently garnished, using for this beetroot, hard-boiled yolk of egg, hard-boiled white of egg, and mustard and cress, each to be finely and separately chopped. Fill up one cup with a layer of the beetroot, with a pinch of the yolk of egg in centre; another with a layer of white of egg, with a little beetroot in centre; a fourth with mustard and cress, with beetroot in centre, and so on; ringing the changes on the above, and taking care that no two are alike. It is a very pretty dish and very much liked. The little cups should be served standing on a flat dish, with a napkin beneath to prevent them from slipping about.

_Potato_ (de Pommes de terre).--(_a_) Rub a dish with a shallot; dispose on it some cold boiled potatoes cut in slices; beat together 3 parts oil and 1 part (more or less according to strength) tarragon vinegar, with pepper and salt to taste. Pour this over the potatoes, and strew over all a small quantity of any of the following: powdered sweet herbs; mint, parsley, chervil, tarragon, or capers, or a combination of them all, finely minced.

(_b_) Cut cold boiled potatoes in small cubes. Bone and fillet a few anchovies, and chop them up; take the same quantity of capers. Mix all together with some finely-minced tarragon or powdered sweet herbs and a plain salad dressing as in (_a_). Put on a dish rubbed with shallot, and make a border round it of pieces of hard-boiled eggs and stoned olives.

(_c_) Take equal parts cold boiled potatoes and cold boiled Spanish onions; cut them into convenient pieces; sprinkle powdered sweet herbs over, and pour over them a salad dressing as in (_a_). Serve with a border of small radishes.

(_d_) Take 4 or 5 cold boiled potatoes, ½ small beetroot, ½ small Spanish onion, plainly boiled, and about 3 in. pickled cucumber. Cut them all in slices, and arrange them on a dish. Pour over them a salad dressing as in (_a_), adding a little English mustard to it, and strew powdered sweet herbs over. Serve with a border of hard-boiled eggs cut in slices.

(_e_) Cut some cold boiled potatoes in slices, arrange them neatly on a dish, slightly rubbed with shallot or garlic, and pour the following sauce over them; mince equal quantities of capers and parsley, and a few leaves of tarragon and thyme; add oil and vinegar in the proportion of 2 to 1, and pepper and salt to taste; beat all well together.

(_f_) Pound 6 well-washed anchovies in a mortar, with 2 hard-boiled yolks of eggs, 1 dessertspoonful French mustard, and a sprig or two of tarragon; then gradually work in salad oil, add pepper and lemon juice to taste, and salt if necessary. Strain the sauce over a dish of sliced cold boiled potatoes, and strew over all plenty of minced truffles.

_Russian_ (Russe).--Boil some carrots and turnips in salted water with a small piece of butter, but do not let them be overdone; when cold cut out of them, with a vegetable scoop, a number of pieces the size of an olive; cut some beetroot in the same way, and likewise some truffles. Take equal parts--say a cupful--of each of the above, and a similar quantity of preserved fresh (not dried) haricot beans ready cooked, and of asparagus points preserved in the same way; 2 tablespoonfuls respectively of capers, of French pickled gherkins, cut into the shape of capers, and of anchovies, perfectly cleaned, and cut into small pieces; 2 doz. or more olives stoned, 1 tablespoonful tarragon and chervil minced fine, and half that quantity of chives, also minced. Mix the whole lightly together into a sauce, made with raw yolks of eggs, oil, vinegar, pepper, and salt, well worked together. Ornament with hard-boiled eggs, caviare, lobster spawn, olives, pickles, truffles, &c. The Spanish preserved sweet capsicums (Pimientos dulces) are a great addition to the above, not only for their exquisite taste, but on account of their brilliant colour.

_Sardine._--Bone and skin some sardines and divide them into fillets; have ready some lettuces as for an ordinary salad, arrange these in the centre of the dish, pour over them a plain salad mixture, to which a little mustard has been added; dispose the fillets all round alternately with French olives washed and stoned.

_Tomato_ (de Tomates).--(_a_) Peel some good-sized tomatoes, not over ripe, cut them in slices and remove the pips, lay them in a dish with oil and vinegar in the proportion of 2 to 1, sprinkle pepper and salt over them according to taste, a few leaves of basil finely minced, and some onions very finely sliced. They should lie in the sauce for 2 hours before serving.

(_b_) Take some tinned tomatoes, cut them up, slice very thin a raw onion, put them into a dish, and pour over them a mixture of 4 parts oil, 1 of vinegar; pepper and salt to taste; sprinkle with powdered sweet herbs. The dish may be previously rubbed with garlic or shallot.

_Watercress_ (de Cresson).--(_a_) Take plenty of fresh young sprigs of watercress, wash them and dry them thoroughly, put them lightly in a dish, and pour over them a mixture made with 3 parts olive oil and 1 of lemon juice or vinegar.

(_b_) To (_a_) add a few sliced shallots, and garnish with tufts of scraped horseradish.

(_c_) Pick out a quantity of nice sprigs of watercress, turn them over in a mixture of 3 parts olive oil and 2 of tarragon vinegar, with salt _q.s._; then put them round the dish or serve separately in a bowl.

=Puddings, Pastry, and Sweet Dishes.=--_Agnew Pudding._--Stew 2-3 lb. apples, peeled and cored, with sugar to taste, and a little lemon peel, until reduced to a pulp; remove the lemon peel. Whisk 3 eggs to a froth, and then mix them with the apple pulp and 3-4 oz. butter, slightly warmed. Beat all well together until quite smooth. Border a pie dish with puff paste, pour in the mixture, and bake in the oven.

_Albert Pudding._--Beat ½ lb. butter to a cream, add ½ lb. crushed loaf sugar, ½ lb. flour, ½ lb. chopped raisins, the juice of a lemon, some candied peel cut very fine; mix all well together, beat 6 eggs (yolks and whites separately), mix all together, put into a mould, boil 3½ hours. Serve with wine sauce.

_Alexandra Ice Pudding._--Make 1 pint custard of milk or cream and the yolks of 4 eggs, and sugar to taste; break up and sift through a sieve ¼ lb. ratafia cakes; mix this with the custard, adding a few drops of extract of bitter almonds and freeze to 22° F. Have ready 2 oz. strawberries preserved whole, drain them well from their syrup, and dip each one in lemon juice. Put a layer of the ice into the mould, then a few strawberries, and so until all are used. Let the mould remain imbedded in ice for 2 hours.

_Almond Génoise._--Beat in a mortar 2 oz. blanched almonds, adding some orange-flower water as wanted to prevent their oiling. Beat up in a bowl 2 oz. fresh butter (warmed) with 4 oz. powdered loaf sugar, add the almonds, the yolks of 4 and the whites of 2 eggs, one at a time, then very gradually 4 oz. fine flour. Continue beating until the mixture is perfectly smooth, then flavour it with some essence of vanilla, and bake as above. Spread the Génoise with apricot jam as above, and, instead of chocolate, use the following icing: Put the whites of 2 eggs into a basin with a little lemon juice and some _glacé_ sugar; well work the mixture with a wooden spoon, and, as it gets thin, keep on adding more sugar until a smooth paste of the consistency of butter is obtained. Lay the icing evenly on the slab of Génoise with a palette knife, put it in the oven for a minute to set the icing, and put it out at once in a cold place, then cut up the slab as above.

_Almond Jumbles._--Beat ½ lb. butter to a cream, with ½ lb. loaf sugar, pounded fine; mix with 1 lb. flour, and ¼ lb. almonds, blanched and shred fine, or beaten to a paste, with the juice of a lemon; work it well together, roll it out, then cut it into small round cakes, and bake them in a quick oven.

_Almond Pastry._--Pound 3 oz. almonds, ¼ lb. butter, 2 oz. loaf sugar, with a little rose-water till it becomes a thick paste. Spread it on a buttered tin, bake in a slow oven. When cold divide it into 8 pieces, put a spoonful of preserve on each piece, and cover with whipped cream.

_Almond Pudding._-½ lb. sweet almonds pounded, ¼ lb. pounded sugar, ¼ lb. breadcrumbs, ¼ lb. butter, 6 eggs, leaving out one white. Melt the butter, beat the eggs; add the sugar, then the butter, then the breadcrumbs and almonds; beat all together, butter a mould, put in layers with 3 tablespoonfuls apricot jam; boil 1½ hour; serve with sweet sauce, made with a tablespoonful of jam and a little water.

_Almond Rice Pudding._--3 oz. ground rice boiled in 1 pint milk; when cold add 6 oz. melted butter, 6 oz. sugar, 6 eggs, 3 whites, and a few blanched bitter almonds; when baked, stick it with sweet almonds.

_Almond Savarin._--Take 1 lb. fine sifted flour, 4 oz. pounded loaf sugar, ½ lb. fresh butter, 8 eggs and 1 oz. German yeast. Dissolve the yeast in rather less than ½ pint tepid milk, strain it, and work into it so much of the flour as will produce a soft dough. Roll this into a ball, place the remainder of the flour into a deep basin, lay the ball of dough on it, cover up the basin, and leave it in a warm place until the ball of dough (the sponge) has risen. Now add the sugar, the butter (just liquefied), the eggs, and a pinch of salt, and work the mixture lightly with the fingers until it becomes a smooth paste. Butter plentifully a large plain border mould (Savarin mould), mince some blanched almonds, not too fine, and strew the mould with as many of these as will stick to the butter; then pour in the cake mixture, which should not fill the mould more than ¾ full. Place the mould, covered up, in a warm place, and when the cake has well risen bake it in a moderate oven for about 1½ hour. Before turning the cake out of the mould stab the top of it (which will be the bottom when the cake is turned out) with a knife in several places, and pour all over it a mixture of 2 parts old rum, and one of very sweet syrup, so as to soak it well, but not too much, to the depth of an inch; then turn it in a dish, and serve. It may be eaten either hot or cold.

_Amber Pudding._--(_a_) Put 1 lb. butter into a saucepan, with ¾ lb. crushed sugar; melt the butter, and mix well; then add the yolks of 15 eggs, well beaten, and as much candied orange peel (pounded to a paste) as will give colour and flavour. Line a dish with paste, fill with the mixture, lay a crust over, and bake in a slow oven.

(_b_) Loaf sugar 4 oz., melted butter 4 oz., the yolks of 4 eggs, and 1 tablespoonful orange marmalade; make all hot over the fire, then add 2 oz. candied orange peel in large slices, put a thin crust in a tin, pour in the above mixture, and bake ½ hour.

(_c_) ½ lb. white sugar, ½ lb. butter, boiled together for 5 minutes: when hot pour it upon the yolks of 8 eggs, well beaten; line a dish with puff paste, put some marmalade in the bottom, pour the mixture over it, and bake in a slow oven for ½ hour. This pudding is so rich, it is better eaten when cold.

(_d_) Line a pudding dish with good puff paste, take ½ lb. fresh butter, ½ lb. loaf sugar, and 8 eggs; take the yolks of the eggs, mix with the sugar and butter on the fire till it becomes thick, but not boiling; whip the whites of eggs to a froth, and mix with the other when cold. Put any sort of jam at the bottom of the dish, pour the mixture of eggs, &c., over it, and bake for ½ hour.

_‘Angels’ Food._--Beat well the whites of 11 eggs, add 1½ tumblerfuls (3 gills) of pulverised sugar sifted 3 times, then add 2 teaspoonfuls extract of vanilla, and lastly 1 tumblerful (½ pint) of flour, which has been sifted with 1 teaspoonful cream of tartar 5 times; the flour must be measured both before and after sifting; it will be found to have gained a little, which increase must be rejected, using only the level tumblerful. Stir lightly together, and pour it into a new ungreased tin pan. Bake it in a moderate steady oven for 40 minutes. Cover it for the first 20 minutes with a sheet of paper. Let it cool in the pan, by turning the pan upside down, resting the edge of the pan upon 2 plates, in order to allow the air to circulate under the cake. Do not shake the pan while in the oven, or while cooling, or it will be heavy. It should be eaten the day it is baked. This cake is very fashionable in America just now; but to succeed with it, it is necessary to observe absolutely the directions.

_Apple and Quince Tart._--Lay a disc of puff paste on a round tin, and place a strip of paste all round it as for an ordinary jam tart. Spread on the inside a layer of quince marmalade ¼ in. thick. Peel and core some apples, cut them in slices ¼ in. thick, trim all the slices to the same shape, dispose these slices over the marmalade, overlapping each other, and in some kind of pattern; strew plenty of sugar over, and bake in a quick oven till the apples are a good colour.

_Apples and Tapioca._--Peel 4-6 good-sized apples, take out the core, and fill up the cavity with sugar and powdered cinnamon, putting a small piece of butter on the top of each. Place them in a baking dish, and strew round them about a cupful of tapioca (raw) mixed with sugar and some grated lemon rind; fill the dish with water, and put in a gentle oven until both apples and tapioca are done.

_Apples, Baked._--Baked apples are very nice filled in with plain custard, also with rice and cornflour, dressed as for a pudding, and poured in where the cores were; or take a piece of quince cheese and place it in when the apples are about half done. Blackberry jam also is very nice, but must not be put in till the apples are done, or it spreads over the dish too much.

_Apple Cake._--Take 1 lb. lump sugar, put it to 1 pint water, let it boil till quite dissolved and ready to candy; then add 2 lb. apples pared and sliced, and the peel of a lemon, if liked. Boil all together till quite stiff; then put it into a mould, and when cold it will turn out. Serve with custard round, and, if liked, a few almonds blanched, split, and stuck in the cake. These cakes will keep for several weeks.

_Apple Charlotte._--Cut from a household loaf a number of slices of uniform thickness (¼ to ⅜ in.); butter a plain mould and all the slices of bread; shape one of them round to fit the bottom of the mould, and another one for the top; cut the rest in pieces 1 in. wide, and the height of the mould in length; lay one of the round pieces at the bottom of the mould, and line the sides with the small pieces, carefully smearing the edges with white of egg, so as to make them well hold together. Stew a quantity of apples with plenty of brown sugar, a little water, the juice and the thin rind of a lemon, and a piece of cinnamon; when thoroughly done pass them through a hair sieve; fill the mould with this purée, put on the round slice of bread for the cover, and set in a quick oven for about 1½ hour.