Mary Ronald

“ Fitness must of course be observed. If crispness is a part of the excellence of a dish, it would not do to destroy that quality by using a moistening garnish.
Vegetables as garnishes come next in order of suitableness and convenience. When vegetables are placed on the same platter with meats, they not only 13ornament the dish, but contribute to the ease of serving a dinner. When they are used the dish is called à la jardinière or à la printanière. Probably every cook knows how to serve mashed or fried potatoes or green peas in the center of a circle of chops. ”

“ They are esteemed for their delicacy rather than their richness, and the difficulty in making them gives them distinction, as they are usually presented only from the hand of an expert cook. There is no reason, however, that any one should not succeed in making a perfect soufflé, though it is one of the popular delusions that they are very difficult to make. With intelligent care about the heat of the oven, a soufflé can be made with less trouble than is given to many other simple desserts. The whites of eggs must be beaten until filled with air. ”

“ It seems desirable to suggest to housekeepers the feasibility of making a specialty of cooking potatoes, and with them to give variety, which is so acceptable to those who sit at their board. Perhaps no other one thing is susceptible to so many changes, and is so simple to prepare, is so satisfactory when properly served, and withal so nutritious. It answers both the substantial and the esthetic requirements of the perfect meal; it can be suitably served for breakfast, dinner, supper, and luncheon; it is within the reach of all. ”

“ The poor cook seems determined to destroy both the favor and flavor of this useful vegetable. The potato is mostly starch, and it is not as well known as it should be that the principle of cooking starch is to cook it only until the starch grains burst, and then remove it from moisture, for the starch grains, when 27open, readily absorb moisture and become soggy. Hence we see this vegetable a most delicious dish or one unfit to eat, according to the skill of the cook. Mashed potato is served from the simplest kitchen, but betrays the poor cook as quickly as a greasy soup. ”

“ Aspic jelly is a principal reliance for covering cold pieces. It is not masking in this case, for the jelly should be perfectly transparent, while masking conceals the material of which the dish is composed. Aspic is also cut into small triangles or in squares to make borders, and is sometimes chopped and used for decoration. See illustration No. 3. Aspic is no longer one of the difficult preparations reserved for the hand of the very experienced cook. Any of the beef or chicken extracts stiffened with gelatine, and seasoned and cleared if necessary, make good aspic. ”

“ Have the water warm, not hot. Stir into the water the sugar, salt, softened butter, and the yeast, which has been dissolved in a tablespoonful of water (yeast is more easily dissolved in a small quantity of water) , then stir in enough flour to make a batter as thick as can be stirred easily. Stir and beat the batter well for about ten minutes. Cover the bread-pan and set it in a warm place (eighty degrees is the right temperature) . When the dough is light, or about doubled in bulk, stir it down, and beat it well for a few minutes. ”

“ Yolks pressed through a colander and sprinkled over creamed meat and fish dishes, cream toast, and some other dishes make a beautiful golden covering. Chopped whites in conjunction with crumbed yolks are used for tracing designs over salads, minces, and cold pieces.
Pickled beets are a useful and effective garnish. The color gives decided contrast, and the flavor is a good relish. Sliced beets can be stamped with vegetable-cutters into fancy shapes, or cut with a knife into diamonds, cubes, or strips. One can easily have them always at hand. ”

“ CREAM-CAKES To a cupful of hot water add a tablespoonful of butter, a tablespoonful of sugar, and a dash of salt. When the sugar is dissolved and the butter melted add a cupful and a quarter of flour. Cook it, stirring all the time, until it is a smooth paste that leaves the sides of the pan. Let it cool a few minutes and then add three or, if necessary, four eggs, beating in well one at a time. The paste should have sufficient consistency to hold its shape without spreading when dropped from a spoon. ”

“ The accomplished cook considers the work on cold pieces an opportunity for giving examples of his skill, and the ornamentation of molds and chaud-froids a kind of fancy work which requires nicety and taste. Under the head of cold dishes come all the salads, the pâtés, galantines, cold fish dishes, ices, and sweets. ”

“ FRIED FILLETS OF FISH Marinate the fillets by letting them lie in a mixture of oil, salt, pepper, lemon juice, and chopped parsley. Take the fillets from the marinade, roll them first in flour, then in egg, and then in white bread crumbs grated from the loaf. Fry them to a lemon color in smoking-hot fat. They must not be cooked too long or they will become dry. They may also be cooked by sautéing, using half butter and half lard. Prepare one fillet at a time, for the covering of flour and crumbs will become damp if it stands long, and then will not crisp. ”

“ An hour before removing it add soup vegetables, a tablespoonful of salt, fifteen peppercorns, three cloves, two bay-leaves, a little thyme, marjoram, and summer savory.
Strain the soup through a cloth and let it cool without covering. When it is cold take off the grease. As no bones were boiled with the soup, it will be clear; and as the meat was browned, it will have a good color.
It can be made perfectly clear as follows: Pour the soup off the sediment which has fallen to the bottom of the dish. Stir into it while it is cold the whites of two eggs beaten enough to break them. ”

“ The next means after larding in what may be called natural garnishing is in the employment of gravies and sauces. No article should ever swim in sauce, but a little can be used with good effect on many dishes. A venison steak wet with a currant jelly sauce, and just enough of the sauce poured on the bottom of the platter to color it, gives a glaze and juicy look to the steak which improves its appearance. A very little tomato sauce under breaded veal chops or croquettes gives color and emphasis to the dish. White sauce poured over boiled dishes gives greater whiteness and often covers defects. ”

“ Put a cupful of milk in a saucepan on the fire and let it come to the scalding-point, then stir in the cornmeal, and continue to stir until the meal is thoroughly expanded. If a coarse meal is used, it should cook for a few minutes to destroy the grainy texture. Remove the meal from, the fire and stir into it the butter and the sugar. Let it stand until cool, then add the rest of the milk, the eggs, which have been beaten (yolks and whites together) , the salt, and lastly the flour, which has been thoroughly mixed with the baking-powder by sifting. ”

“ Toast looks more inviting when cut into strips or triangles, or with the corners neatly cut off if served in whole slices. Any little thing which indicates care on the part of the cook recommends the dish to favor and almost guarantees its excellence—on the principle that straws show which way the wind blows.
10For soups, there is to be found, in any cook book, a long list of garnishes which may be used. Certainly a clear soup is more beautiful when a few green peas or a few bits of celery increase its brilliancy; a cream soup is greatly improved by a few small croutons ”

“ Small portions of vegetables left over may be used to advantage in this way. Very little need be used of any one, and any number may be combined on the same dish. Potatoes boiled or fried can be prepared in many fancy ways to make them suitable for garnishing. Well-seasoned spinach is excellent with chops, steaks, or roasts. Browned onions are often used. Meats with onion garnishes make dishes called à la soubise. Brussels sprouts, hot, are a suitable garnish for corned beef; or cold, with a French dressing, are an excellent salad to serve with cold beef. ”

“ To place chops or cutlets neatly overlapping one another, either in rows or in a circle, requires some dexterity, perhaps, but this is acquired by a very little practice, and such an arrangement not only helps to keep the meats hot, but is in itself ornamental. The platter should be in right proportion to the article served upon it. A large joint on too small a platter gives the same sense of unsuitableness that an outgrown garment gives to a boy or a girl, and the carving of this seemingly overgrown joint usually results in accidents to the table-cloth. ”

“ VEGETABLES With very few exceptions, vegetables should be served au naturel. Meats require all the aids of skilful handling and tasteful adornment. Vegetables, on the contrary, have great beauty in themselves, and the art of the cook cannot rival that of nature. Therefore a few sprigs of parsley so arranged as to give a finish to the dish are ordinarily sufficient garnishing. In those cases, however, where the vegetables lose form and color in cooking, the skill of the cook may be employed to restore these qualities as far as possible. ”

“ Decorating icing. Whip the whites of two eggs to a very stiff froth, then add slowly powdered sugar until the mixture is so stiff that every point and thread left by the beater will hold its place. It requires beating a long time. It is the same as meringue mixture, except that it is made hard with sugar instead of by drying, and takes about a half cupful of sugar to each egg.
Note.—Sprinkle a cake that is going to be frosted with flour as soon as it is taken from the pan. Before icing, wipe off the flour. This prevents the icing from running so much, and makes it easier to spread. ”

“ The dough rises quickly after the first rising, and must be watched that it does not get light enough to sour. Let the loaves rise in the baking-pans to double in size, then bake in a hot oven for one hour.
Bread made in this way is very light and spongy, and is much better than that which is made so thick with flour 200that it can be kneaded. It has also the other advantages of being easier to make, the results are more reliable, and the objection of too much handling is removed. It requires an experienced hand to knead bread without making it too heavy with flour. ”

“ A boiled fish dropping to pieces from over-cooking, or bereft of its head or tail, is an unsightly dish. It is permitted to serve fish au naturel, even going so far as to simulate swimming. This is done by propping it with a whole carrot laid inside, which gives the fish enough rigidity to stand upright. Illustration No. 8 shows a fish served in this way. The garnishing is white rings of hard-boiled egg, holding sprigs of parsley, laid along the back. A slice of lemon sprinkled with and surrounded by parsley, giving the effect of a medallion, is placed against the side of the fish. ”

“ Stuffed tomatoes may be used with almost any meat dish.
Vegetable purée, in fancy form, is useful for embellishment, and may take the place of a fresh vegetable. Purée is made of any vegetable mashed and seasoned in the same manner as potato. Navy beans, 14lima beans, flageolets, and peas, either fresh or dried, are so used. The purée can be pressed through a pastry-bag into forms simulating roses, or placed in piles on rounds of toast. Vegetables intended to be eaten with the meats they garnish should be well seasoned before being placed on the platter ”

“ It is important to use for the sauce stock which jellies, as it hardens the mixture and makes it easy to mold, while it softens when the croquettes are fried, making them very creamy. Stock will jelly if a knuckle of veal is used in making it. If jellied stock is not at hand, put a level teaspoonful of soaked gelatine into a cupful of any stock or of milk. ”

“ BREAD AND BUTTER SANDWICHES It is difficult to butter very thin slices of bread unless the butter is soft. It is well, when making plain bread and butter sandwiches, to whip the butter until it is light, soft, and smooth, and then to spread but one piece of the sandwich. Where filling is used it is not necessary to butter the bread, as oil or butter is used in the paste. ”

“ Cook them on a hot pan. Turn them frequently after the surfaces are seared so they will cook evenly and slowly. If preferred, they can be broiled over hot coals, but are then more likely to lose their shape and the skewers will be burned.
Arrange the chops flat on the dish in a circle with the skewers pointing out. Cover the top of each chop with a sauce made of the chopped mushroom stems, and place in the center of each chop a large mushroom cap. Place a paper frill on each skewer. Fill the center of the ring of chops with green peas or any small vegetable, or with mashed or fried potatoes. ”

“ Cold dishes are often more gratefully received in summer than hot ones, therefore it is desirable that every cook should be able to serve them in attractive forms. Again, from an economic point of view they are desirable, as meats can be served a second time in cold forms quite as acceptably as before. ”