[ Transcriber's Note: Every effort has been made to replicate this text as faithfully as possible, including inconsistencies in spelling and hyphenation; changes (corrections of spelling and punctuation) made to the original text are listed at the end of this file. ]

 TWENTY-FOUR LITTLE FRENCH DINNERS AND How to Cook and Serve Them

 BY

 CORA MOORE

 NEW YORK E.  P. DUTTON & COMPANY 681 Fifth Avenue

 Copyright 1919, by E.  P. DUTTON & COMPANY

 All Rights Reserved

 Printed in the United States of America

PREFACE

The Little Dinners of Paris are world-famous. No one can have sojournedin the fascinating capital in its normal days without having come undertheir spell. To Parisien and visitor alike they are accounted among theuniquely characteristic features of the city's routine life. 

Much of the interest that attaches to them is, of course, due to localatmosphere, to the associations that surround the quaint restaurants, half hidden in unexpected nooks and by-ways, to the fact that oldJacques "waits" in his shirtsleeves or that Grosse Marie serves you witha smile as expansive as her own proportions, or that it is Justin orFrançois or "Old Monsoor, " with his eternal grouch, who glides about thezinc counter. 

But there is also magic in the arrangement of the menus, in thecombinations of food, in the very names of the confections and in thelittle Gallic touches that, simple though they are, transformcommonplace dishes into gastronomic delights. 

There is inspiration in the art that enters into the production of aFrench dinner, in the perfect balance of every item from hors d'œuvre tocafé noir, in the ways with seasoning that work miracles with left-oversand preserve the daily routine of three meals a day from the deadlymonotony of the American régime, in the garnishings that glorify themost insignificant concoctions into objects of appetising beauty and inthe sauces that elevate indifferent dishes into the realm of creationsand enable a French cook to turn out a dinner fit for capricious younggods from what an American cook wastes in preparing one. 

The very economy of the French is an art, and there is art in theireconomy. It is true that their dishes, as we have known them in thiscountry, are expensive, even extravagant, but that is because they havebeen for the most part the creations of high-priced chefs. They who havemade eating an avocation know that it is not necessary to dineexpensively in order to dine well. 

 C.  M. 

New York, May, 1919. 

CONTENTS

 PAGE

 Preface v

 The Bugbear of American Cookery--Monotony 1

 Flavor--Handmaid of Variety 9

 True Trails toward Economy 15

 The Appeal to the Eye 21

 Sauces, Simple and Otherwise 25

 Twenty-four Little French Dinners 33 (With Directions for Preparing)

 Let Us Eat Fish! 109

 TWENTY-FOUR LITTLE FRENCH DINNERS AND How to Cook and Serve Them

THE BUGBEAR OF AMERICAN COOKERY--MONOTONY

It is as strange as it is true that with the supplies that have latelyproved sufficient to feed a world to draw upon the chief trouble withAmerican cookery is its monotony. The American cook has a wider varietyof foods at his command than any other in the world, yet in the averagehome how rarely is it that the palate is surprised with a flavor thatdidn't have its turn on the corresponding day last week or tickled witha sauce that is in itself an inspiration and a delight, not a mere"gravy, " liable to harden into lumps of grease when it cools. 

Most of this is simply the result of blindly following tradition. Daughter has accepted mother's precepts, regarding them even as the lawof the Medes and the Persians, "which altereth not, " and if it were notthat increased prices and, lately, at least, "food regulations, " haveveritably compelled her toward a more wholesome simplicity, the UnitedStates would probably be what it was called half a generation ago, "anation of dyspeptics. " And we were a nation of dyspeptics because thegreat American mother of the latter end of the Nineteenth Century, inspite of all her unequaled qualities in every other direction, and inspite of all the encomiums she received in resounding prose or ecstaticverse for her prowess in the kitchen, was from the points of view ofhealth, economy and wisdom the worst cook in the world. 

With prices as they are the American housewife cannot afford to usebutter and eggs and flour with the prodigality that was a habit with hermother, but so limited is the average woman's knowledge of cookery thatthese restrictions merely mean more monotony than ever. It is partly todemonstrate that this state of things is unnecessary and that true foodeconomy is not at all synonymous with "going without" that this book hasbeen compiled. 

It is upon variety that the French cook confidently relies to make eachdish of each meal not just something to eat because her family must havefood, not merely a sop to the Cerberus-gnawings of hunger, but a delightto the eye, to the palate, to the stomach--truly a consummation devoutlyto be wished for the American home table, and just as possible to attainas it is possible to procure from the grocer or the nearest pharmacistthe ingredients by which these wonders are wrought. 

But the average American woman doesn't look beyond her own kitchen andher own traditional row of spice boxes for her flavorings. She has her"kitchen set, " which ordinarily comprises a row of little receptacleslabeled "pepper, " "salt, " "cloves, " "allspice, " "ginger, " "cinnamon, ""nutmeg, " and possibly one or two other spices or condiments--rarelymore. With these and a bottle each of lemon extract and vanilla, she issatisfied that she is fully equipped as far as flavoring possibilitiesare concerned. 

If she has laid in a box of sage and one of mixed dressing with, perhaps, some paprika and thyme, she views her foresightedness with muchcomplacency. She is supplied with savories. 

Then she goes right on sighing, "Oh, for a new meat, instead of the sameold round of mutton, pork, beef and fish; fish, beef, mutton and pork, "disclaiming utterly any responsibility for the monotony that isundermining the family health and temper and, quite possibly, itsmorals. 

That is where the American housewife makes her primary and mostimportant mistake. The French, on the other hand, know that there are, literally, hundreds of ways to vary every dish, however ordinary it maybe in its primary state. That is their secret of success: unfailingvariety coupled with economy. 

However, this is not to claim that the American palate would take kindlyto all the French cooks' little delicacies, or that it could becultivated to that degree that makes a Frenchman regard a perfectlybalanced meal even as an inspired poem. 

Probably Americans, as a class, could never be induced to eat some ofthe little birds--the _mauviettes_, the _alouettes_, the sparrows bakedin a pie, that so delight the Frenchman. Also, it is a question whethersnails, even if it were possible to obtain the superior Burgundian, fatand juicy and cooked even as our own Oscar used to prepare them forcertain Waldorf guests, would ever appeal to the American taste, as eventhe common hedgerow sort of snail does to the average Frenchman. 

It is not that the French dinners of Monte Carlo are necessarily sosuperior to American shore dinners, or that the little dinners of Parisare so infinitely to be preferred to those, say, of certain places inNew Orleans, or that the coppery-tasting oysters of Havre are to becompared with those of our own Baltimore. There is no more to be said, probably, for the woodcock patés of old Montreuil, or the _rillettes_ ofTours, or the little pots of custard one gets at the foreign Montpelier, or the _vol-au-vent_, which is the pride and boast of the cities ofProvence, than there is for grandmother's cookies such as have putCamden, Maine, on the map, or Lady Baltimore cakes, or the chicken piesone goes to northern New Hampshire to find in their glory, or theturkeys that, as much as the Green Mountains, make Vermont's fame. 

Still, there is no question but that the American palate would benefitmuch by being cultivated, not only in the interests of economy, but alsowith a view to the increase of gastronomic pleasure, for a taste attunedto many variations is as an ear sensitive to the nuances of sweet soundsor an eye trained to perceive delicate tones and tints. It is really amatter for regret that we, as a people, have not been as willing tolearn from the French the art of cooking and eating as we have been toacquire from them knowledge of the art of dress. Until we widen ourhorizon sufficiently to do this, we have not even begun to develop allour food resources or to understand the first principles of true foodeconomy--which is not at all synonymous with "going without. "

FLAVOR, HANDMAID OF VARIETY

It is because he has a multitude of seasonings at his command and knowshow to use them that the French cook is enabled not only to send to thetable an infinite variety of dishes, but, at the same time, to practiceeconomies that were otherwise impossible. The American buys an expensivecut of meat and, as is right in such a case, treats it as plainly andsimply as possible. The Frenchman buys meat of a much lower quality, butso embellishes it that when it comes to the table it is superior, or, atleast, equal to that which costs much more. 

It may be objected that this is no real economy, because by the time theFrench cook has sauced and spiced his cheap cut in order to make itpalatable, the cost is as great, if not greater than it would have beenhad he paid more for his meat in the first place. This would be trueenough according to the average American's method of procedure. But itis to be remembered that the French cook has already in his kitchen thecooking vinegars, the spices, the dried herbs, the extracts, that invery small amounts--a dash or a few leaves--are used at a time; also, that in a great number of cases, gravies and sauces are made from theby-products of the main dishes--those by-products that in the Americankitchen usually go down the sink-drain or into the garbage pail. 

Take a peep into the typical French cupboard. There you will find fromtwenty-five to thirty liquid seasonings such as anchovy extract, tobascosauce, meat extracts, mushroom catsup, tomato paste, chutney, variousvinegars, Worcestershire and many another flavoring designed to give atang and a zest even to the most unpromising dish, if used aright. Thereyou will find, too, fifty or more dry seasonings, including anise, basil, saffron, savoury, clove or garlic, cassia buds, bay leaf, gingerroot, pepper-corns, marjoram, mint, thyme, capers and so on. 

Herein lie the "secrets" of French cookery which are, in truth, notsecrets at all, but merely the application of common sense to thecuisine. The French have never allowed their taste to be restricted byprejudice, so they hail a new flavor with delight rather thanregistering an instinctive dislike because it is not familiar. With alittle applied education, Americans can bring the charm of the Frenchtable to their own homes rather than when they are, as they say, tiredof the same old round of "eats, " seeking out a nondescript table d'hôterestaurant and eagerly consuming what is set before them, grateful for achange. 

But don't harden your heart against French cookery merely because youhave sampled it, as you fondly think, at one or another of the"red-inkeries" of New York or any other city. For the most part the"French" restaurants of the land are in reality not French at all, butItalian for the most part, and whatever Gallic flavor the remainder everpossessed has well-nigh vanished. There may be exceptions but, if thereare, their patrons carefully guard the secret. 

But to return to our subject: It is the French cook's knowledge of thesubtleties, the nuances of seasoning that stands him in good stead. TheAmerican woman who has essayed to use some spice or savory unfamiliar toher and has turned out a dish which her family has declared "tasted likemedicine" is, naturally enough, discouraged from wandering after thatparticular strange god again. The truth is that she has overdone theseasoning. She doesn't want to be parsimonious, which is just what theFrench cook is with his flavors, only he, more scientifically, calls itusing good judgment. If he uses garlic in a salad, it doesn'tnecessarily follow that the entire household must take on theatmosphere of an Italian barber shop, for he uses garlic or onion, notto give their flavor to a dish, but to bring out the flavors of thevegetables with which they are used. 

Vanilla and lemon have an almost universal appeal to the palate, andknowing this, the American cook, like the generation before her, hasalways seasoned her rice puddings, for instance, with one or the other, just as her apple sauce has invariably been flavored with lemon ornutmeg, her bread pudding with vanilla, and so all along her restrictedline. 

The French cook holds no brief against vanilla, and sometimes he flavorshis rice pudding with it, but he so guides matters that the very sightor mention of rice pudding does not bring the thought of vanilla to themind, for with him it may be flavored with pistache or rose or have ageranium leaf baked in it, giving a delightful, indescribable flavor. Anordinary bread pudding becomes veritably a queen of puddings as, indeed, it is called, merely by having a layer of jam through its centerand a simple icing spread over the top. Ordinary pea soup exhibitschameleon-like possibilities merely through the addition of a littlecelery-root, a dash of curry or the admixture of a few spoonfuls ofminced spinach, and tomato soup has for most an appeal that even thisfavorite of soups never had before when just the right amount of thymeis added while it simmers, along with, perhaps a bayleaf. 

In the recipes appended to the little dinners in this book a great manyof the French cooks' materials and methods of procedure are set forth. But if the ordinarily experimental American housewife has the flavoringson hand, she will doubtless herself contrive many an alluring dish ofher own. Variety is said to be the spice of life. However that may be, the spices and their friends, the herbs, certainly make for variety inthat important function of life, the dinner table. 

TRUE TRAILS TOWARD ECONOMY

In the first place, no trail toward economy in conducting the cuisine ofa household lies through the delicatessen store or the "fancy" grocery. It is an unflattering comment on the spirit of thrift of Americanhousewives that the delicatessen store has settled down to such aflourishing existence, particularly in Eastern cities. Any woman whopossesses a stove and a kitchen of her own should be ashamed to admitthe laziness that more than a semi-occasional visit to these "delicateeating" places predicates. There are few things to be had in them thatshe shouldn't be able to make better at home and at a cost that is but afraction of what she has to pay for the usually inferior, impersonalmesses that come ready-made. 

If the housewife has read some of the very excellent instructions thatwere printed to help her conduct her household adequately amid thenecessary limitations of wartime, she already knows that there isabsolutely no excuse for ever throwing away a crust or crumb of bread. As for that, neither is there any excuse for ever disposing of what isleft of the morning cereal except to the advantage of some later madedish, or of consigning meat scraps or bits of fat or even bones to thegarbage pail. It is not only that, in the interests of economy, sheshould use them; it is rather that if she is a good cook she will bevery glad to have them to use. 

Stale bread and breadcrumbs are the bases of a score of the mostdelicious puddings on the French cook's card; cooked cereal is one ofthe best thickenings for soups and gravies, as well as being far morewholesome than flour for this purpose; meat scraps, trimmings and bonesshould go into the stock pot. When a soup made of these is served as theintroductory course at dinner it will be found that the family will befully satisfied with much less meat, and it is in the lesseningdependence of Americans on meat that will make for the greatest item ineconomy. 

A French cook of parts would tear his hair if he could see how fats anddrippings from meats are thrown away in many an American kitchen. Theyare poured into the sink till the drain pipes clog and, to complete thelittle serial of extravagance, the plumber has to be called. The Frenchcook knows that this is the finest grease for frying in the world andthat its use would save many a pound of butter. He strains it allcarefully and keeps the different sorts in labelled jars or crocks. Heknows by experience what particular fats give the best flavors tocertain things, and he knows that vegetables, fish, eggs, pancakes andwhat not are far better fried in these natural fats. Who that ever atean egg fried in bacon drippings will ever want one cooked in butter, even at a dollar a pound!

One will not find the delicatessen flourishing in France--one will notfind it at all--and the fancy grocery, above mentioned, is anotherpitfall for the American housewife. She likes the sight of food done upin fancy containers, in glass, perhaps, and buys them, not realizingthat she is paying a large price for perfectly unnecessary and totallyunnourishing "pretties. " If she is fearful of the handling some loosefood stuffs may be subjected to in the stores, why does she not practicethe most practical economy, go to the fountain-head of supplies in thecity, the large market, and buy in quantity, so far as she can? A fewounces of bacon, already sliced, and sealed in a glass dish are, indeed, appetising even in their raw state, while a side of bacon is not, unlesslooked upon through the eyes of imagination, yet the latter method ofpurchasing this commodity is two or three hundred per cent cheaper, andwhen it arrives at the breakfast table it will be found every bit asappealing to a happy morning appetite. 

Any consideration of economy in the cuisine must include the meatproblem. Meat is the most expensive item on the menu and the truesolution of the question is not only to conserve all the uses of it butto eat much less. That would make not only for economy, but for betterhealth as well. 

It has been estimated that 186 pounds of dressed meat is--or was priorto the war--the yearly average of consumption for every American; theEnglishman being a good second with his 120 pounds, while the Frenchmanremained perfectly contented and healthy with 79 pounds, the Italianwith 72 pounds, and the Swiss, anything but a nation of invalids, managed very well on 60 pounds per person. 

This is no plea for vegetarianism, though it may be said in passing forthe benefit of those who think that good red blood and hardy muscle areto be obtained only by absorbing the red blood and muscle of the beastsof the field, that there is as much, if not more, of this buildingpower in the beans, the peas, the lentils that we regard too often asmere secondary foods. 

Most of all the American should take advantage of the great stores offish which are equally as nourishing as meat and may easily be made asappetising with simple sauces that French cookery will teach us. Fishare cheap; at least, many neglected kinds are; they are easy to cook andthey are one of the best foods in the world. 

THE APPEAL TO THE EYE

No one, least of all the French cook, calculates to feast the eye at theexpense of the sense of taste, yet it is his experience after long yearsthat good digestion is much more likely to wait upon the appetite thathas been stirred to a preliminary enthusiasm by the attractiveappearance of a dish. So they serve little fritters of vegetables, dabsof jelly, slices of hard boiled eggs, pickles, parsley, cress andnasturtiums with meats, put sprigs of fresh green in their gravies, decorate desserts with nut-meats, flowers and fruits, and in so doingadd a bit to the gayety of the table, satisfied that the trifling extraexpense, time and energy incurred is more than compensated for in thepleasure the results afford. A fair trial of this pleasant idiosyncrasyof the French is convincing that the appearance of a dish has morebearing on the relish of a meal than we over here have fully realized. 

They are particular, however, to be consistent in the use ofgarnishings. Flowers and fruits are reserved for sweet dishes, except inthe case of nasturtiums, which they regard as much a vegetable as aflower and use freely with meats. 

A stew or a creamed dish is merely a more or less indifferent somethingto eat when it is dished up any old way and set upon the table. But ifit is heaped daintily on a pretty platter, surrounded by a ring of brownmashed potato, its sides decorated by dainty shapes of toasted bread, perhaps buttered and sprinkled with minced parsley, it has becomesomething to awaken the slumbering or indifferent appetite and atpractically no extra expense of time or money. 

If the yolks of two hard boiled eggs are minced and mixed with part ofthe raw white of one, the paste then formed into balls like marbles anddropped into boiling water, one has little yellow spheres to lend anenlivening color note to clear soups. Two or three of these dropped intoeach plate just before serving makes a pleasing change from the usualcroutons. 

Sprigs of fresh chickory make the daintiest of garnishes for cold meats, and a few of the tender green stalks will add to the appearance ofpractically any salad. As for water-cress and pepper-grass and, ofcourse, parsley, minced and otherwise, no French chef would think ofpreparing a meal without a plentiful supply of them on hand. 

It isn't essential that every dish should be turned into an elaboratework of art, as if it were to be entered at the annual exhibition of theSociété des Chefs de Cuisine, but neither is there any reason, even withmodest means at command, for giving cause for that old slogan of thegreat American dinner table: "It tastes better than it looks. "

SAUCES, SIMPLE AND OTHERWISE

Brillat-Savarin, who would be remembered as a wit had he not been evenmore brilliant as a chef, paid his respects to the English by sayingthey were a nation of a hundred religions and only one sauce. Being atrue Frenchman he believed a reversal of the numbers better for thesoul. It is certainly better for the appetite. 

To be sure the proper mental sauce for a good dinner is wit, and thebest physical one, hunger, but as we all of us have more or less of anEpicurean strain in us and do not eat solely to satisfy bodily needs, itis well that the American cook who essays to bring variety to her boardshould have some knowledge of those Gallic creations, the sauces, bywhich she is enabled to transform plain dishes into seeminglypretentious ones, even though she never attain that sauce that Balzacknew, "in which a mother might unsuspectingly eat her own child. "

In the first place every French chef keeps three kinds of what he calls_roux_ on hand, ready for making meat and fish sauces. These are made bycooking together eight ounces of butter and nine ounces of flour. Thatintended for use with brown meats is stirred together till it becomes amedium brown in shade; white _roux_ is cooked only sufficiently tobanish the raw taste and not allowed to color, while pale _roux_ is keptover the fire just long enough to attain a deep cream color. These aremixed with milk, soup stock, water or gravy as the case may be when asauce for fish, meat or vegetables is needed. 

For instance, to make _Sauce à la Crème_, for use with white entrées, take two tablespoonfuls of the white _roux_ in a saucepan with a cup ofmilk and a tablespoonful each of finely chopped parsley, shallots andchives. Boil fifteen minutes, pass through a colander into anothersaucepan, add a small lump of butter, more finely chopped parsley andsalt and pepper. Mix well with a wooden spoon and it is ready for thetable. 

To make a favorite _Sauce Piquante_, cut two onions into slices, also acarrot and two shallots and put into a saucepan with a scanttablespoonful of butter. While heating over a moderate fire, add a sprigof thyme, a tablespoonful of minced parsley, a bayleaf and two or threecloves. When the onions are golden brown add a tablespoonful of flour, alittle plain stock and a tablespoonful of vinegar. Boil again, passthrough a sieve and season with salt and pepper. 

A simple sauce is that _Maître d'Hôtel_, which is rarely made at homethough so generally liked. Put a lump of butter into a small saucepanover a moderate fire and add to it chopped parsley and chives, orparsley alone. Season with salt and pepper and a little lemon juice andwhile it is sizzling pour over the hot steak or fish. 

_Sauce d'Anchois_, than which there isn't anything better with bakedfish, is also easy to make. Take three or four anchovies and mash themup well with two tablespoonfuls of butter. Now make about a pint ofbrown sauce with brown _roux_ and milk, and stir the anchovy butter intoit. Just before taking from the fire add the juice of half a lemon ormore, according to taste. 

_Sauce Bearnaise_ was a favorite of Henry of Navarre, and it isexcellent with steaks, chops and, particularly, roast beef. To make itbeat the yolks of three or four eggs in a saucepan, add a tablespoonfulof butter and a little salt. Stir over a slow fire till the eggs beginto thicken, then remove and stir in two more tablespoonfuls of butter, stirring till the butter is dissolved. Season with chopped fine herbsand parsley and pour in a teaspoonful of French vinegar. 

In many parts of France they have a favorite dressing for boiled fishcalled _Sauce Ravigote_. To make it mix half a pint of stock in asaucepan with a small amount of white wine or cider, then chop fineherbs such as chervil, tarragon, chives and parsley, or whatever otherherbs are in season, to the amount of about three tablespoonfuls, andmix with the stock, adding salt and pepper. Stew gently for about twentyminutes, then blend a tablespoonful each of flour and butter, stir intothe sauce and continue to stir till thick. Just before serving squeezein the juice of half a lemon. 

The word "_Ravigote_" means, literally, "pick me up, " and it is appliedto minced tarragon, chervil, chives and parsley, the herbs being keptseparate and served with salad on four little saucers. _Ravigote_butter, made by kneading butter with the four herbs and adding pepper, salt and lemon juice, spread between thin slices of bread, makesdelicious sandwiches. 

To make the very generally liked _Sauce Blanquette_, which is used toraise cold meats to the dignity of a fricassée, take about four ouncesof pale _roux_, thin slightly with boiling water added by degrees, thenput in a bunch of sweet herbs, cooked button mushrooms and small onionsand pepper and salt to taste. Put in whatever cold meat you have, cooktill it is well heated and serve. 

The following is called _Sauce d'Havre_, and through the use of it itwill be discovered that the taste of curry is an agreeable one in manyanother case than in connection with the veal and rice arrangement towhich most American cooks restrict it. Peel and slice four onions andtwo apples and place in a stewpan with four ounces of butter, sixpeppercorns, a sprig of thyme, two bayleaves and a blade of mace. Whenthe onions have become slightly brown over the moderate fire, stir in amixture of two tablespoonfuls of flour and the same amount of currypowder, shortly afterward adding six gills of white stock and half apint of white sauce. Season with salt and half a teaspoonful of moistsugar, boil for a quarter of an hour, adding more white stock ifnecessary, and stirring constantly. Put through a strainer into anothersaucepan, boil up again, skim, and use when required. 

Fricasseed chicken takes on a new glory when it is prepared with _SauceLyons_. This is made by stirring gradually three well-beaten eggs intohalf a pint of plain white sauce, then placing the mixture in a jar andstanding in boiling water till the sauce thickens. Just prior to pouringover the chicken add the strained juice of half a lemon. 

TWENTY-FOUR LITTLE FRENCH DINNERS

I

MENU

 Potage à la Duchesse Cabillaud à la Bechamel Pommes de Terre, Genevoise Salade Celeri Pouding à la Vanille

=Potage à la Duchesse. =--Butter a baking sheet, cover with four ouncesof chou paste, cook in the oven for six minutes, then cover the pastewith forcemeat in small lumps, a little distance apart. Cut the pasteinto twelve equal sized pieces, each piece holding a lump of theforcemeat, place in a tureen, pour over a quart of piping hot consomméand serve. 

=Cabillaud à la Bechamel. =--Mix an ounce of flour with an ounce and ahalf of butter melted in a saucepan, then gradually add a pint of milkwhich has been allowed previously to simmer with a minced onion andcarrot in it, also a bunch of sweet herbs, two or three cloves, agrating of nutmeg and pepper and salt. Bring to a boil, add two or threetablespoonfuls of cream, strain and put back into the saucepan. Now putin two or three pounds of cod, previously boiled and flaked, beingthoroughly free from skin and bones. Shake all together very gently andwhen all is thoroughly hot, turn out onto a silver dish and garnish withsliced hard-boiled eggs. 

=Pommes de Terre, Genevoise. =--Shred four medium sized boiled potatoes, season with a little salt and pepper. Butter lightly half a dozentartlet moulds, cover the bottoms with grated Parmesan cheese, arrangein each a layer of potatoes, then another sprinkling of cheese, and soon till the moulds are filled. Put a little butter on top. Place on avery hot stove or in a very hot oven for fifteen minutes to half anhour. Serve on a hot dish in the moulds. 

=Salade Celeri. =--Trim two or three heads of celery, cut into shortshreds, wash thoroughly in cold water and drain. Place in a salad bowl, season with a little salt, a very little pepper and one or twotablespoonfuls each of oil and vinegar. Add several sprigs ofpepper-grass and serve at once. 

=Pouding à la Vanille. =--Place a vanilla bean in a mortar together withhalf a pound of sugar and pound well together and sift. Separate thewhites from the yolks of three eggs, beat the yolks well, stir them inwith a pint of cream and mix in with the vanilla sugar. Whisk the whitesof the eggs to a stiff froth and mix lightly in with the otheringredients. Butter a pudding mould, pour in the mixture and cover witha sheet of oiled paper. Stand the mould in a saucepan of boiling waterand steam the pudding for half an hour. In the meantime prepare thefollowing sauce: Pour a breakfast cupful of canned or fresh pineapplejuice into a lined pan with the juice of a lemon. Put this on the firetill it boils, then pour it over a tablespoonful of arrowroot, stirringall the time. Return the sauce to the saucepan and stir till it thickensover the fire. When the pudding is cooked, turn it out onto a hot dish, strain the sauce over it and serve. Be careful that no water enters themould containing the pudding while it is cooking, or it will bespoiled. 

II

MENU

 Consommé à la Napolitaine Cabillaud à la Financière Pommes de Terre en Rubans Beignets à la Printemps Choufleur au Gratin Bavaroise au Café

=Consommé à la Napolitaine. =--Place in a saucepan with a lump of butterequal quantities of finely minced carrots, turnips, a head of lettuceand one of endive with a little chervil. Add a quart of the water inwhich the cauliflower in this dinner was cooked, pepper and salt, andsimmer for an hour. Just before serving stir in the beaten yolk of anegg and half a pint of milk. 

=Cabillaud à la Financière. =--Cook a piece of cod weighing three poundsin salted water for twenty minutes, drain a place on a serving plattercovered with the following sauce: Put two glasses of Madeira wine and asmall piece of meat glaze in a saucepan with a pint of Spanish sauce anda gill each of essence of mushrooms and truffles. Boil till it coats thespoon. 

=Pommes de Terre en Rubans. =--Take large, smooth, pared potatoes and cutround and round in spirals about an eighth of an inch thick. Keepcovered with a damp napkin till all are cut, place in a frying basketand fry in very hot fat till a light straw color. Sprinkle freely withsalt and serve immediately. 

=Beignets à la Printemps. =--Make a sauce of two ounces of butter, fourounces of flour, a tablespoonful of brandy, a pinch of salt, sufficientwater to make a creamy paste. Cook and, removing from the stove, work inthe whites of two eggs beaten to a stiff froth. Cut into pieces anyfruit desired, dip them in the batter and fry in butter to a lightgolden brown. Drain well, place in a serving dish, sprinkle well withpowdered sugar and serve. If the fruit is not fully ripe, parboil insyrup before using. 

=Choufleur au Gratin. =--Soak a cauliflower in water with plenty of salt, then boil in plenty of salted water for fifteen minutes. Remove and takeaway all the green leaves, lay it on a flat buttered dish, previouslyrubbed with an onion, and pour over it a sauce made as follows: Melt anounce and a half of butter in a saucepan, add a dessertspoonful offlour, mix and add a cup of milk. Stir till it thickens, add pepper andsalt and add two or three tablespoonfuls of grated Parmesan cheese. Mixwell and after pouring over the cauliflower sprinkle all over withbreadcrumbs and place the dish in the oven till nicely browned. 

=Bavaroise au Café. =--Mix the beaten yolks of two eggs with a pint ofmilk and a cup of very strong black coffee. Bring to a boil in asaucepan, remove from the fire and allow to get cold, stirringoccasionally. Add the yolks of two more eggs beaten stiff with twoounces of sugar. Mix well and then add the stiffly beaten whites of thefour eggs along with half an ounce of dissolved gelatin. Pour into amould and turn out when set. 

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 Filet de Sole à la Provençal Poulet Sauté à l'Estragon Artichauts à la Barigoule Petit Petac Soufflé Georgette

=Filets des Soles à la Provençal. =--Sprinkle the filets with pepper andsalt and a little allspice and fry in salad oil with a finely choppedonion and a little chopped parsley. Serve with a slice of lemon on eachfilet. 

=Poulet Sauté à l'Estragon. =--Sprinkle the pieces of a cut up rawchicken with pepper and salt and cook in a saucepan with a little oil. Make a gravy of a cupful of clear stock in which tarragon stalks havebeen boiled for an hour, dish up the fowl on a hot platter, pour overthe sauce, straining it, and sprinkle on top tarragon leaves blanchedand coarsely chopped. 

=Artichauts à la Barigoule. =--Cut off the tops and leaves of theartichokes and boil the bottoms in plenty of slightly salted water tilltender. Scoop out the fibrous interior. Grate some cooked bacon into asaucepan with a gill of fine herbs and a cupful of broth. Cook for fiveminutes. Put a little of this mixture in each artichoke, cover theopening with a slice of lemon and bake in a sauté-pan in the oven fortwenty minutes. 

=Petit Petac. =--Peel tiny new potatoes and sauté in oil till a goldenbrown. Sprinkle with chopped parsley and serve. 

=Soufflé Georgette. =--Grate a half-dozen stale macaroons into a half-cupof brandy, add a pint of cream and two teaspoonfuls of dissolvedgelatine. Whip in a dozen maraschino cherries and turn into a mould toharden. Serve with macaroons dipped into the liquid that comes aroundthe maraschino cherries. A custard may be used in this recipe instead ofthe cream. 

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 Potage au Riz Rougets en Papillotes Veau à la Suzette Demi tasse

=Potage au Riz. =--Put half a pound of well-washed rice into a saucepanwith two quarts of vegetable stock and boil till tender. When the riceis cooked move the saucepan to the side of the fire and mix in a cupfulof stewed tomatoes and an ounce and a half of butter. Serve with sippetsof toast or croutons that have been fried in butter. 

=Rougets en Papillotes. =--This recipe is for mullets, but any small, plump fish may be used. Make a paper case for each fish with a sheet ofwell-oiled notepaper and put the cases into the oven for a few minutesto harden. Sprinkle the under sides of the fish with pepper and saltand lay them in their cases with a small piece of butter under and overeach. Place the cases in a baking-dish and cook for about twenty minutesin the oven, or more if the fish are otherwise than small. Sprinkle wellwith lemon juice just before serving. 

=Veau à la Suzette. =--Trim saddle of veal neatly and put it into asaucepan with a good sized piece of butter. Turn it constantly on thefire till it is a rich golden color all over, then put it onto a dishand sprinkle with salt and pepper. Add more butter to the gravy in thesaucepan and put in raw potatoes cut up in sections like oranges. Coverthe saucepan and cook, shaking frequently, till the potatoes have a goodcolor. Add an onion, finely minced, and when it is browned, a clove ofgarlic, minced very fine; next put in a tablespoonful of flour followed, when the flour is brown, by about two cupfuls of stock. Stir well andput back the meat and any juice that may have oozed from it. Lastly adda bouquet of herbs, simmer for an hour at least and serve the meatsurrounded by the potatoes with the sauce poured over the whole. 

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 Potage à l'Américaine Filet d'Eglefin Gigot de Mouton aux Épinards Chou de Mer au Fromage Petites Crèmes au Chocolat

=Potage à l'Américaine. =--Parboil a medium sized cauliflower in saltedwater, change the water and boil till done. Drain well and press througha sieve. Dilute with consommé or broth. Boil a few minutes more, stirring well. Beat up in a basin the yolk of an egg with threetablespoonfuls of cream, add this to a few tablespoonfuls of thecauliflower mixture, then, taking the saucepan containing the soup fromthe fire, add the egg and cream mixture and stir together. Add half anounce of butter and serve with croutons. 

=Filet d'Eglefin. =--Cut a haddock into fillets, trimming into piecesabout six inches long. Dip them in well beaten egg and then into siftedbreadcrumbs and plunge into deep, well-boiling fat, frying to a richcolor, turning occasionally to cook both sides evenly. Remove, drain, put on a cloth spread over a hot dish and serve with a simple whitesauce. 

=Gigot de Mouton aux Épinards. =--Roast a small leg of mutton, puttingsome salt and a small quantity of water at the bottom of the tin. Whenhalf cooked, remove the meat and carefully skim the gravy of all fat. Return the mutton to the tin, pour gravy over it and surround it withpotatoes cut to the size of walnuts. Put back in the oven, letting thepotatoes cook in the juice of the meat. Meanwhile cook about threepounds of spinach, drain, squeeze out all water and pass through asieve. Return to a saucepan in which about two ounces of butter has beenheated and season with pepper and salt. Add a tablespoonful of gravyfrom the mutton and allow the spinach to simmer till the meat is done. Then pile the spinach with the potatoes about the meat and serve, havingthe gravy in a sauceboat. 

=Chou de Mer au Fromage. =--Carefully wash sea-kale to remove grit, remove any black parts from the roots and tie up the shoots in smallbundles. Cook in boiling salted water for twenty minutes, drain and keephot. Mix on the fire an ounce of butter and a tablespoonful of flour, moisten with half a cup of water in which the kale was cooked, bring toa boil and mix in two or three tablespoonfuls of grated Parmesan cheese. Take from the fire and add the beaten yolk of an egg. Arrange the kaleon a hot dish, pour the sauce over and serve immediately. 

=Petites Crèmes au Chocolat. =--Mix two tablespoonfuls of chocolate orcocoa in a cup of boiling milk and sweeten to taste. When nearly coldadd to this the yolks of two eggs, well beaten, and a gill of heavycream. Mix thoroughly and strain into china cases. Place these in alarge shallow stewpan containing just sufficient water to reach half wayup on the cases. Let steam for twenty minutes, when the custard ought tobe firm. The water should be boiling when the cases are first put in, but afterwards may simmer. Put the cases on ice, and serve as cold aspossible with little sponge cakes or lady fingers. 

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 Potage purée de Pois Secs Saumon à la Hollandaise Pommes de Terre, Barigoule Haricots verts au riz tomate

=Potage Purée de Pois Secs. =--Boil a pint of green peas in three pintsof water with a piece of fat ham or bacon, two carrots, an onion, aleek, a bayleaf, some parsley, pepper and salt. Allow to simmer two orthree hours, stirring occasionally. Pass the peas and onions through ahair sieve and add the strained liquor. Return to the saucepan, boil up, add some whole cooked peas with a little mint and serve. 

=Saumon à la Hollandaise. =--Cut a piece of salmon from the middle of thefish, cover in the kettle with cold water and plenty of salt. Bringslowly to a boil, removing scum, and allow to simmer till the fish isdone. Drain thoroughly and serve with the following sauce in a boat:Take three ounces of butter, the yolks of two eggs and put them in adouble boiler over the fire, stirring briskly till the butter isdissolved. Mix in a scant ounce of flour, stir well and add the juice ofa lemon, half a pint of milk, a little grated nutmeg and pepper andsalt. Stir constantly till the sauce thickens to the consistency of acustard. 

=Pommes de Terre, Barigoule. =--Place ten potatoes in a saucepan withenough broth to cover them and boil slowly till done. Drain, taking carenot to break them. Put a teacupful of olive oil into a deep frying pan, heat, put in the potatoes, tossing them till they are browned all overlightly. Place on a dish and sprinkle with salt, pepper and vinegar. Serve piping hot. 

=Haricots verts au riz tomate. =--Boil rice carefully so that every grainwill be separate, toss it in a little butter and moisten with tomatosauce and add the yolk of an egg, well beaten and stirred in, and alittle Parmesan cheese. Make a border of the rice on a dish and pile inthe center some French beans plainly boiled and tossed in a littlebutter with some pepper and salt. 

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 Potage Velouté Brochet à la Tartare Biftecks sautés aux Olives Pommes de Terre à la Lyonnaise Épinards au Gratin Beignets Soufflés

=Potage Velouté. =--Boil a cup and a half of tapioca in two quarts ofwater and season with salt and pepper. At the bottom of a tureen place alump of butter, and the yolks of two eggs, pour the tapioca over whileit is still boiling, add a pint of hot milk and serve. 

=Brochet à la Tartare. =--Cut a fresh pike into slices and marinade eachslice separately with a sauce made of sufficient olive oil, blackpepper, a minced onion, finely cut mushrooms and chopped parsley. Coverthe fish with breadcrumbs and broil, brushing occasionally with themarinade. When it is a golden color remove from the fire, place on a hotplatter and serve sprinkled with parsley with a tartar sauce in asauceboat. 

=Biftecks sautés aux Olives. =--Cut the steak into six pieces and toss ina frying pan with lard. When well done sprinkle with seasoning andremove from the fire. Then take half a glass of white wine, atablespoonful of consommé, two or three dozen green olives, with thepits removed, and boil together for a few minutes. Set the steak in acrown on the platter and in the center place the dressing. Pour thegravy from the frying pan over all and serve. 

=Pommes de Terre à la Lyonnaise. =--Take a dozen potatoes of the samesize, cut into pieces the size of a quarter of a dollar, roll in flourand put into a frying pan with boiling fat, taking them out when theyare a golden brown. Also fry some thin slices of onion, mix with thepotatoes, sprinkle with salt and serve garnished with parsley. 

=Épinards au Gratin. =--Boil two pounds of spinach and chop very fine. Beat up two eggs to each pound of spinach, mix with it and sprinkle thewhole with breadcrumbs. Pour over some olive oil or melted butter andheat thoroughly in the oven in a vegetable dish. 

=Beignets Soufflés. =--Put a pound of flour, a pinch of salt, a liquorglass of rum, the yolks of three eggs and a quantity of lukewarm waterinto a mixing dish and beat these together till it shrinks from thedish. Then mix in the well-beaten whites of the eggs and then allow torise for an hour or so. Have a baking dish very hot and put in the pastein pieces the size of a nut, which will triple in size while cooking. Let them cook to a golden color, remove from the fire and sprinkle withpowdered sugar. Serve hot. 

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 Consommé Royale Filet de Sole à la Vénétienne Salade Barbe de Capucin Beignets de Pêches

=Consommé Royale. =--Beat two eggs and mix them with half a cup of milkand a pinch of salt. Pour into a basin, stand this in a larger onecontaining hot water, place in the oven and bake till the contents ofthe small basin are firm, renewing water in the larger dish ifnecessary. Allow to cool and when set cut into small well-shaped pieces, pour over them a quart of hot consommé and serve immediately. 

=Filet de Sole à la Vénétienne. =--Place in a buttered tin two small orone large onion cut in thin slices, a little chopped parsley, a bayleaf, one or two whole cloves and salt and pepper. Lay the fillets of twosoles on these with a generous piece of butter, pour over half a pint ofwhite stock and a small glass of white wine. Cover the tin with oiledpaper, and bake in the oven for about twelve minutes. When the fish iscooked take out all the liquor except just enough to keep the fish moistas it remains in the oven turned very low, strain it and addthree-quarters of an ounce of flour and the same amount of butter. Bringthe sauce to a boil, take it from the fire, add the yolk of an egg and agood amount of blanched parsley and chervil, chopped very fine. Arrangethe fillets of sole on a hot dish, pour the sauce over and serve. 

=Salade Barbe de Capucin. =--Carefully pick over and break intoconvenient pieces the required amount of chicory and place in a saladbowl well rubbed with an onion. Just before serving pour over a Frenchdressing, remembering to be in making it "a spendthrift for oil, a miserfor vinegar, a counselor for salt and a madman to stir it all up. "

=Beignets des Pêches. =--Peel, stone and cut in halves some firm peaches. Toss about in a bowl with sugar, being careful not to break. Put a poundof flour in a basin and stir in gradually half a pint of water. Mix thewhites of two stiffly beaten eggs with this batter and then add one anda quarter ounces of melted butter. Bring olive oil to a good heat in afrying pan, dip each piece of peach in the batter and fry in the fat. When lightly browned drain on a cloth or paper, lay on a baking dish, sift powdered sugar over and glaze by placing in a hot oven a fewminutes. Arrange in pyramid shape on a folded napkin on a hot dish andserve immediately. Canned peaches, if firm, may, of course, besubstituted for the fresh fruit. 

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 Côtelettes de Saumon, à l'Anglaise Pommes de Terre, Marquise Petits Pois à la Paysanne Salade Américaine Choux au Chocolat

=Côtelettes de Saumon, Anglaise. =--Divide slices of salmon into shape ofcutlets, sprinkle with pepper and salt and put into a saucepan with asmall amount of butter and toss over the fire. When cooked take out anddrain, place on a hot dish and serve with the following sauce: Put threetablespoonfuls of velouté sauce into a saucepan, reduce slightly and addone egg, four ounces of butter, a little salt, cayenne, some finelyminced parsley and the juice of half a lemon. Mix together well overthe fire till the ingredients are blended and it is ready. 

=Pommes de Terre, Marquise. =--Boil potatoes in salted water and passthrough a sieve. Season with salt, pepper, nutmeg, chopped parsley and alittle chopped thyme. Moisten with some good gravy or stock and forminto small balls. Dip each in well beaten egg and fry to a light brownin butter. 

=Petits Pois à la Paysanne. =--Take fresh green peas, or canned ones ifthe former are not available, put over the fire in a saucepan withplenty of butter and stir frequently. Cut one or two rashers of bacon invery small dice and toss them in a saucepan over the fire. When thebacon is well fried, mix in with the peas and let the two finish cookingtogether, seasoning with pepper, salt and a little sugar. 

=Salade Américaine. =--Cut in rounds resembling a quarter-dollar equalquantities of new potatoes, carrots and beet root, all previouslycooked. Then add a sour apple, cut in the same shape, and a fewanchovies cut in small pieces. Pour over this a dressing of three partsoil to one of vinegar, add pepper, salt, mustard and chopped parsley. Pile the salad up and surround with cress. 

=Choux au Chocolat. =--Into a small saucepan put half a cup of water withtwo ounces of butter and one of sugar. When boiling add gradually twoand a half ounces of finely sifted flour and stir till the mixture isstiff. Take from the fire, stir some more, then add two eggs, one at atime, beat the whole well, and leave to cool. Butter a baking sheet, laythe paste on it in round balls the size of a plum and bake in a moderateoven for about twenty minutes. Allow to cool and then make an incisionin the side of each and fill with whipped cream slightly flavored withvanilla or with jam. Just before serving glaze each chou slightly with achocolate icing. 

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 Consommé Duchesse Saumon, Sauce Piquante Rissolettes de Bœuf Salade à la Reine Crème Noyau

=Duchesse Consommé. =--Boil four tablespoonfuls of rice (ground) in fourcups of water for fifteen minutes, adding half a teaspoonful each ofsalt and sugar. When the rice is soft and just before serving add aquart of warmed milk, bring to a boil, adding lastly a dash of pepperand paprika. 

=Saumon, Sauce Piquante. =--Take slices of salmon about three-quarters ofan inch in thickness and place in a saucepan with hot fish broth mixedwith a small quantity of wine. Allow to simmer for fifteen minutes. Whencooked remove and wipe free from broth, place on a hot platter andserve with a sauce made as follows: Melt a quantity of butter, flavor totaste with tarragon vinegar, pepper, mustard, fennel and such spices asare liked. Stir over the fire till cooked, move to the side of thestove, thicken with the yolk of an egg and serve. 

=Rissolettes de Bœuf. =--With four cups of finely minced beef mix one cupof breadcrumbs, adding one boiled onion, a little essence of anchovies, salt, pepper and a raw egg. Make into balls, roll in breadcrumbs and fryslowly. Prepare a gravy by boiling the trimmings of the meat in thewater in which the onion was boiled, thicken with flour or cornstarch, add three teaspoonfuls of lemon juice and pour over the rissoletteswhich should be arranged on a heated platter around a heap of mashedpotatoes. 

=Salade à la Reine. =--Lay strips of endive lengthwise on the saladplates and cross them with peeled tomatoes cut in sections like anorange. Dress with a French salad dressing. 

=Crème Noyau. =--Pound in a mortar together a quarter pound of Jordan andan ounce of bitter almonds with a scant half cup of cream and two ouncesof sugar. Rub through a sieve into a bowl, add a pint of whipped creamflavored with Noyau and then an ounce of gelatine dissolved. Pour into amould to set. Serve with champagne wafers. 

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 Consommé à la Madrilène Perches aux Fines Herbes Filets Mignons aux Pommes de Terre Aubergines Farcies Omelette au Rhum

=Consommé à la Madrilène. =--Put through a medium sieve five or sixboiled ripe tomatoes, or a can of tomatoes, allow to cool and pack in afreezer. Add to a cold consommé and serve in cups. 

=Perches aux Fines Herbes. =--Prepare six fresh perch and marinade themwith two tablespoonfuls of olive oil, a sprig of parsley, a littlepepper and salt and allspice, bayleaf and other strong spices choppedfine. Keep the fish in this for about an hour, remove and roll inbreadcrumbs lightly flavored with spices. Grill over a low fire till agolden brown in color and serve with butter sauce. 

=Filets Mignons aux Pommes de Terre. =--Marinade the required number ofsmall filets mignon of mutton in butter seasoned with salt and chervil. Leave for an hour or more and just before they are to be served, grillthem, basting frequently with the butter. Flavor with lemon juice andserve with buttered fried potatoes. 

=Aubergines Farcies. =--Cut eggplants in halves lengthwise, remove theinside and of this make a farcie by mixing it with chopped parsley, twochopped onions and salt and pepper. Stuff the eggplant halves with thismixture and put the combination into a casserole containing a goodquantity of melted butter and allow to simmer over a slow fire till allis thoroughly done. Cover the tops with breadcrumbs, add a drop of oilor a little melted butter and keep piping hot till served. 

=Omelette au Rhum. =--Prepare an omelette as for any sweet omelette andjust before serving place on a hot platter, pour rum over, ignite andcarry to the table blazing. 

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 Potage Riz, Creçy Canapés de Saumon Fumé Paupiettes de Porc, Sauce Piquante Asperges en Petits Pois Tarte à la Turque

=Potage Riz, Creçy. =--Cut several firm, red carrots lengthwise, usingonly the red part. Place in a casserole with a good bouillon and allowto simmer over a slow fire. Pass through a sieve when the carrots aresoft, and put back in the bouillon. Add a cupful of cooked rice, bringto a boil and serve. 

=Canapés de Saumon Fumé. =--Cut a smoked salmon into slices and spreadthem with butter, adding pepper and salt and a pinch of nutmeg. Heatover a crisp fire, place on a hot dish, cover with croutons and serve. 

=Paupiettes de Porc, Sauce Piquante. =--Take small slices of cold roastpork and spread them with sausage meat. Roll them and fasten withskewers, then cover with a thin coating of lard or with oiled paper andcook them over a low fire in a casserole. When thoroughly done, take offthe papers, cover with breadcrumbs and brown. Serve with a piquantsauce. 

=Asperges en Petits Pois. =--Cut up the green part of two bunches ofasparagus, roll in butter and add a little salt. Heat a cupful of flour, being careful not to allow it to color, and dredge the asparagus withit. Put into a saucepan with sufficient milk and water in equal parts tocover, add a bouquet of herbs and allow the whole to simmer till theasparagus is cooked. Season with white pepper and serve. 

=Tarte à la Turque. =--Boil a cupful of rice till thick in milk to whichhas been added a stick of cinnamon, a little lemon juice and sugar. Whenthe rice is cooked allow to cool. Make a border of it on a butteredplate and fill the center with a marmalade made as follows: Cut thepeeled stalks of a bunch of rhubarb into dice and allow them to simmerin a small amount of water till they are of the consistency ofmarmalade. Add three or four teaspoonfuls of sugar, a lump of butter andthe rind of a lemon. Take from the fire and immediately add the beatenyolks of two eggs. Arrange, as stated, in the middle of the rice, sprinkle with a little more sugar and set in the oven for fifteenminutes or more before serving. 

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 Potage à la Chicorée Allumettes d'Anchois Bœuf Bouilli en Vinaigrette Pommes Maire Salade de Tomates Crème Brulée

=Potage à la Chicorée. =--Pick carefully and wash two or three heads ofchicory, cut into shreds and pass through a little heated butter withoutallowing to take color. Then add sufficient of the water in which thePommes Maire (below) were boiled to make the required quantity of soup, add pepper and salt, simmer for an hour. Just after taking from the fireadd the beaten yolk of an egg. Pour into the tureen over toasted slicesof stale bread. 

=Allumettes d'Anchois. =--Make a fritter paste with flour and oil, omitting salt. Soften with white wine. Wash the desired number ofanchovies, remove the bones and draw out the salt by soaking in milk. Dip into the paste and fry. 

=Bœuf Bouilli en Vinaigrette. =--Cut cold, lean beef into narrow, thinslices. Place it in a bowl with a finely chopped onion and some chervil, a few cut-up gherkins, a teaspoonful of capers, pour oil, a littlevinegar and the juice of half a lemon over, add pepper and salt, tosswell together and serve at once. 

=Pommes Maire. =--Use "kidney" potatoes if procurable; if not, ordinarypotatoes of small size. Boil in salt water and peel while still hot, then cut in thick chips and place in a casserole and cover with boilingmilk. Season with pepper and salt and allow to boil, turning with a forktill the milk has boiled away. Remove from the fire, pour over a cup ofrich milk, season again and serve. 

=Salade de Tomates. =--Cut a pound of not too ripe tomatoes into oneinch cubes, add salt, pepper, vinegar and oil to taste and then tosstogether with a minced onion. Serve right away. If desired, cold boiledbeef in dainty slices may be added. 

=Crème Brulée. =--Blend a tablespoonful of flour with the yolks of threeeggs and place in a casserole. Pour slowly in a pint or more of milk, add a pinch of cinnamon, a few drops of extract of lemon or any flavordesired, and stir constantly over the fire. When the cream is cooked, make a caramel sauce in a porcelain pot by melting five or six lumps ofsugar and cooking to the browning point. Pour this into a serving dish, pour the cream over it and allow to cool. 

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 Bisque d'Herbes Turbot à la Rachel Choufleur au Gratin Salade Barbe de Capucin Gâteau de Frangipane

=Bisque d'Herbes. =--Chop together about a handful each of lettuce, sorrel, spinach, also a small onion, a little celery and some cherviland cook all with an egg-sized piece of butter for fifteen minutes, stirring constantly. Then add three tablespoonfuls of flour made smoothwith a little stock, stir in four cupfuls of the cauliflower water(which you will have from a recipe following) into which has been beatenthe yolk of an egg. Serve very hot with croutons. 

=Turbot à la Rachel. =--Boil the fish in salted water. Whitefish orhaddock will serve as well as turbot. Make the following sauce: Smoothand brown together two tablespoonfuls of flour and two ounces of butterand stir in five gills of water in which the fish was boiled, adding ateaspoonful each of anchovy essence and mushroom catsup. Remove from thefire and beat in the yolks of two eggs and the juice of one lemon. Colorwith liquid carmine or a few drops of cochineal and pour over the fish. 

=Choufleur au Gratin. =--Dip the cauliflower into ice water, then plungeit into boiling salted water to cook fifteen minutes. Cut a slice offthe stalk, remove the leaves, lay on a flat dish and cover with a creamsauce. Sprinkle with grated breadcrumbs and grated Parmesan cheese, brown in the oven and serve. 

=Salade Barbe de Capucin. =--Lay the stalks of American endive in a dishand cut into small pieces a medium shallot. Mix, add a French dressingand sprinkle with finely chopped tarragon leaves. 

=Gâteau de Frangipane. =--Whisk together a quarter of a pound of powderedsugar and the whites of three eggs, then beat in three tablespoonfuls ofmilk, the grated peel of a lemon and a dash of salt. Then stir in half apound of flour. Bake in patty tins and when done scoop a piece out ofthe top of each patty and fill with jam. Then pour over a sauce made asfollows: Put two wineglassfuls of white wine into a small saucepan andstir in a cupful of orange marmalade with the juice of a lemon. Thickenwith a little corn-starch. 

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 Potage Bisque Canard à la Pertinset Pommes de Terre à la Crème Choufleur au Beurre Noir Salade de Lentilles Pêches au Vin

=Potage Bisque. =--Boil as many crabs as are needed in water, addingsalt, pepper, two good sized onions and equal quantities of carrots andchives. Remove the crabs and take the meat from the claws. Mash thevegetables until they form a purée and add a good sized lump of butter. Place over the fire with water or bouillon and allow to come to a boil. Serve very hot with croutons and the meat from the crab claws. 

=Canard à la Pertinset. =--Place a carefully prepared duck in a casseroleand dredge it with a lump of melted butter, add two onions, one clove, a dash of garlic. Put in the oven but do not allow the onions to becometoo brown before removing the duck. Then add five or six tomatoes, oneglass of white wine, a glass of bouillon, a few cloves and a bayleaf. Let this boil over a low fire, then mash the tomatoes and onions, putback the duck into the casserole and boil for forty minutes. 

=Pommes de Terre à la Crème. =--Put into a casserole a lump of butter, apinch of flour, salt and pepper, nutmeg and a young onion. Mix well andadd a cup of rich milk. Place on the fire, stir constantly, and removeas soon as the mixture comes to a boil. Meanwhile boil as many potatoesas are required in salted water. Peel and cut into slices, add to thesauce and serve. 

=Choufleur au Beurre Noir. =--Boil a cauliflower and drain. Add a pinchof salt, nutmeg and a dash of vinegar to a pint of the water in whichthe cauliflower was cooked. Melt two tablespoonfuls of butter and whenit is a light brown add it to the mixture. Pour over the cauliflower ona hot platter. 

=Salade de Lentilles. =--Having boiled two cupfuls of lentils till theyare tender, season them either hot or cold with a little garlic cut upfine, or with chives and serve in lettuce leaves with a French dressing. 

=Pêches au Vin. =--Put peaches into a stewpan and cover them with water. In ten minutes remove the skins. Then place them in a shallow dish andcover them either with Madeira or Moselle wine and allow them to standfor at least two hours. Then drain them, place them in the dish in whichthey are to be served and cover them with vanilla sugar. Set the wine inwhich they have been soaked on the fire, add sugar to taste, and pourthe sauce boiling over the peaches. 

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 Sardines Grillées Chapon à l'Indienne Pommes de Terre en Matelote Salade Beaucaire Crème Fouettée

=Sardines Grillées. =--Grill half a dozen sardines, or as many as desired, for a few minutes. Melt butter in a frying-pan, stir in a little flourand moisten with hot water, then add a few drops of vinegar, a dash ofmustard, salt and pepper. Pour this very hot over the sardines. 

=Chapon à l'Indienne. =--Prepare and truss a capon as for roasting, ruball over with butter and place in a casserole with a good sized slice ofsalt pork. Cook over a slow fire for three hours. In the meantime cook acupful of rice, season it with a little curry powder and pimento, andplace around the capon on the platter on which it is served. 

=Pommes de Terre en Matelote. =--Slice freshly boiled potatoes and cooken casserole with seasoning of pepper and salt, two or three slicedonions, a sprig of chopped parsley, a lump of butter and a small amountof flour and water. Cook till all the ingredients are well blended andwhen heaped on a platter and ready for the table, pour over a glass ortwo of wine. 

=Salade Beaucaire. =--Chop coarsely celery and endive together, seasonwith oil, vinegar and mustard an hour before using. Just before takingto the table, add chopped boiled ham, a sour apple, diced, moistenedwith a little tarragon and mayonnaise. Surround the salad with a borderof small potatoes, boiled and sliced, alternated with slices of beet. 

=Crème Fouettée. =--Whip cream till it is very thick or make about aquart of custard. Mash thoroughly a pound of cherries or raspberries, orboth with powdered sugar. Mix with the cream or custard, beat again andserve immediately. In summer this may be iced with good results. 

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 Potage Macédoine Homards et Champignons Côtelettes de Mouton à la Brunoise Petits Pois à la Française Choux à la Crème

=Potage Macédoine. =--Place thin pieces of ham in the bottom of asaucepan and then put in three each of turnips, potatoes and onions, allcut up small. Pour in some stock, season with pepper and salt and simmertill the ham and vegetables are cooked. Add a quart of milk and bringalmost to a boil, strain and serve immediately. 

=Homards et Champignons. =--Cut an equal quantity of lobster meat andmushrooms into dice. Boil some velouté sauce together with some essenceof mushrooms till somewhat reduced, then thicken and mix with thelobster and mushrooms. Fill ramekin cases with the preparation, sprinkle with breadcrumbs, pour over a little melted butter and bake inthe oven till browned. Serve piping hot. 

=Côtelettes de Mouton à la Brunoise. =--Trim mutton cutlets neatly, cutting away all fat, and place side by side in a large stewpan. Coverwith well-flavored stock and leave to simmer, well covered, for an hourand a half. Take equal quantities of turnips, onions and celery anddouble the amount of carrots, cut all into quarter-inch cubes and fry inbutter till they begin to color, putting in first the carrots, then thecelery, then the onions and last the turnips. When all are done, drainand allow them to simmer gently in a little common stock. A little whilebefore the cutlets are done drain off all the surplus stock from thevegetables, or boil it down quickly over a hot fire. Dress the cutletson the rim of a platter, heap the vegetables in the center and pour thegravy all over them. Accompany with mashed potatoes. 

=Petits Pois à la Française. =--Cook a pint of shelled peas till tender, drain and place on the back of the fire with not quite a gill of thewater in which they have been boiled, a little flour and an ounce ofbutter. Simmer for five minutes, adding pepper and salt to taste andjust before taking from the fire add the yolk of an egg mixed with atablespoonful and a half of cream. Serve very hot in china or papercases. 

=Choux à la Crème. =--Put a small piece of butter in a saucepan with halfa pint of water, a teaspoonful of sugar, a piece of lemon peel and alittle salt. Boil well together, stir in two tablespoonfuls of flour andstir till thick and cooked. Allow this paste to cool and then work intoit two eggs and sufficient milk to make it thin enough to drop from aspoon. Heat lard in a deep frying pan, not quite to the point ofboiling, and with a spoon drop the paste into it in lumps about the sizeof a hen's egg. When slightly brown and well swollen, remove the cakes, drain them well, scoop out a little of the top of each to form a hollowand allow them to cool. Whip cream to a stiff froth and put a smallamount into the hollow of each chou, arrange on a fancy dish and serve. The chou may be filled with jelly or preserves if preferred. 

XVIII

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 Potage à la Printanière Paupiettes de Veau Pommes de Terre, Maître d'Hôtel Salade de Laitue Feuillantines

=Potage à la Printanière. =--Cut two carrots and one turnip into shapeswith a vegetable scoop, simmer for twenty minutes in salted water, drainand place in a quart of the water in which the potatoes (in this samemenu) were boiled. Add a handful of chiffonade, cook five minutes andserve. 

=Paupiettes de Veau. =--Cut thin cutlets from a fillet of veal and beatthem flat and even. Also mince a small quantity of the veal very fine, mix it with some of the kidney fat, also minced fine, and half a dozenminced anchovies, adding a little salt, ginger and powdered mace. Placethis mixture over the slices of veal and roll them up. Beat up an egg, dip the rolled slices in it and then in sifted breadcrumbs. Let themstand for fifteen or twenty minutes, egg them again, roll in breadcrumbsand fry to a golden brown in boiling lard or clarified dripping, or stewthem in some rich gravy with half a pint of white wine and a smallquantity of walnut pickle. 

=Pommes de Terre, Maître d'Hôtel. =--Cut up carefully selected, underboiled and cold potatoes in rather thick slices. Dredge half atablespoonful of flour in a saucepan with a lump of butter and whensmooth add gradually a cupful of broth, stirring till it boils. Place inthe potatoes along with a tablespoonful of chopped parsley and pepperand salt. Stew for three or four minutes, remove the pan to the side ofthe fire and add quickly the yolk of an egg previously well beaten witha teaspoonful of cold water and a little lemon juice. When the egg hasbecome thickened, turn the potatoes with their sauce on a flat dish andserve. 

=Salade de Laitue. =--Select fine lettuces, remove the coarse outerleaves, wash and wipe, place in a salad bowl and sprinkle over atablespoonful of chopped chives, half a teaspoonful each of choppedchervil and tarragon. Season with a pinch of salt, half a teaspoonful ofpepper, two tablespoonfuls of vinegar and a tablespoonful and a half ofoil. Mix thoroughly and serve. 

=Feuillantines. =--Prepare some puff paste; roll out to about a third ofan inch thick and cut into strips an inch wide and two inches long. Spread a baking dish thick with butter, arrange the pieces of paste onit, placing them upon their sides and leaving a small space betweenthem. Put them in the oven and when they are firm and their sides havespread, glaze them with white of egg and dust with powdered sugar. Asthe feuillantines are cooked set them on paper and drain off any extragrease. Now mask them separately with small quantities of differentcolored jams. Arrange on fancy edged dish-paper or a folded napkin on adish and serve. 

XIX

MENU

 Potage Crème d'Orge Bœuf à la Mode Pommes de Terre, Sautées Salade de Romaine Soufflé au Chocolat

=Potage Crème d'Orge. =--Mix in a saucepan a teacupful of barley, anonion, a small piece of cinnamon, half a blade of mace and three pintsof water in which potatoes have been boiled. When the mixture boilsremove from the center of the fire and allow to simmer slowly for threehours or more. Pass through a fine sieve and return to saucepan. Mix intwo tablespoonfuls of butter and half a pint of boiling milk, seasonwith pepper and salt. Beat an egg yolk in a teacupful of milk, mix inthe soup but do not allow to boil after egg is added. Serve withcroutons. 

=Bœuf à la Mode. =--Take the under part of a round of beef, place it in adeep earthen dish and pour over it spiced vinegar. Let the meat remainin this for several hours, then dress it with strips of salt pork, athird of an inch square, inserted in incisions made a few inches apart. Stuff larger incisions with breadcrumbs highly seasoned with salt, pepper, onions, thyme and marjoram. Bind the beef into a shape to retainthe dressing and dredge with flour. Then cut up two onions, half acarrot and half a turnip and fry in fat drippings till brown and placein a stewpan. Brown the meat all over with the same fat, place on atrivet in the pan, half cover with boiling water, add a small quantityof mixed herbs tied in a bag, cover and simmer for about four hours, ortill done. Take out carefully, remove strings and cloth, and place on alarge dish. Skim off the fat from the gravy, add more seasoning, thickenwith wetted flour worked smooth, boil for eight or ten minutes andstrain over the meat. Decorate with small onions and potato balls. 

=Pommes de Terre, Sautées. =--Boil potatoes until almost done, cut intoquarters or slices of medium thickness. Melt butter or clarifieddrippings in a frying pan, put in the potatoes sprinkled with salt andpepper and finely chopped parsley and toss over the fire till they are afine golden brown color. Serve with chopped parsley. 

=Salade de Romaine. =--Put crisp leaves of romaine in a salad bowl rubbedlightly with a shallot or new onion. Make the following dressing. Takeone hard-boiled egg and mash it as finely as possible with a fork, add alittle paprika, a pinch of salt, half a teaspoonful of French mustard, ateaspoonful of hashed chives, the same of hashed tarragon, twotablespoonfuls of oil and three of vinegar. Add this to the romaine, toss well and serve. 

=Soufflé au Chocolat. =--Mix a small tablespoonful of starch with a gillof milk and when quite smooth add two ounces of powdered sugar and twoounces of butter. Put the mixture into a saucepan and stir over the firetill it boils. When cold stir in an ounce of grated chocolate and theyolks of two eggs. Beat well together till perfectly smooth, then mix inthe whites of the eggs. Pour into a buttered souffle dish and bake forforty minutes. 

XX

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 Potage Gourmet Eglefin à la Maître d'Hôtel Pommes de Terre, Casserole Salade de Tomates et de Laitue Canards Sauvages, Sauce Orange Soufflé au Citron

=Potage Gourmet. =--Pour into a saucepan about a quart of the water inwhich potatoes have been boiled, add a small amount of cold chicken cutin small dice, two tablespoonfuls of boiled rice, two tablespoonfuls ofcooked green peas and one truffle cut into dice, also pepper and salt, along with one or two whole cloves. Bring to a boil, allow to simmer forfifteen minutes, and serve. 

=Eglefin à la Maître d'Hôtel. =--Cut a cleaned haddock open at the backon each side of the bone, dust with pepper and salt, dip in flour, place on a gridiron over a clear fire and cook for about twenty minutes, turning carefully from time to time. Remove from the fire, place twoounces of butter on the back of the fish, place it in the oven to meltthe butter, then, put the fish on a hot platter and sprinkle with minceparsley and lemon juice, the latter heated. 

=Pommes de Terre, Casserole. =--Boil a pound or two of potatoes, drainand mash and make into a stiff paste by adding butter and milk togetherwith a little salt. Form into a casserole, put on a dish, make anopening in the top, brown in the oven and serve. 

=Salade de Tomates et Laitue. =--Split the white leaves of lettuce intoquarters and place in a bowl. Cut tomatoes into thin slices and placeover the lettuce. Season with a sauce made of one part of vinegar, twoof oil, a little salt and pepper. Pour the sauce over just beforeserving. 

=Canards Sauvages, Sauce Orange. =--Roast two wild ducks over a briskfire, having them underdone, more or less, according to taste. Basteall the time they are cooking with butter and the juice of lemon andserve with the following sauce. Shred finely the rind of two oranges andparboil in a little water. Melt an ounce of butter and stir into it adessertspoonful of flour moistened with a little water. Stir well overthe fire and then add the juice of the two oranges, some very cleargravy, flavor with pepper and salt and cayenne, then add the parboiledorange rind. Let the sauce boil and keep hot till wanted. 

=Soufflé au Citron. =--Put three egg yolks and three ounces of powderedsugar into a basin with the grated rind of a lemon and a half and stirtill quite thick. Add slowly a tablespoonful of lemon juice and then, quickly, the well beaten whites of the three eggs. Pour into a pie dishand bake in a medium oven for twenty minutes. When the surface is agolden brown it is done. Serve immediately. 

XXI

MENU

 Filets de Carrelets, Italienne Pommes de Terre, Loulou Cailles Rôtis Salade des Tomates et d'Artichauts Vol-au-Vent, Chantilly

=Filets de Carrelets, Italienne. =--Take the fillets of two firmflounders, trim and flour each piece lightly. Dip in egg beaten withpepper and salt, cover on both sides with stale breadcrumbs and fry inboiling olive oil. When the fillets are a golden brown place on a sievein front of the fire with a soft paper beneath them that they may drain. Serve with fried parsley and quarters of lemon. 

=Pommes de Terre, Loulou. =--Chop raw potatoes fine and place them in asaucepan with butter and a seasoning of pepper, salt, paprika and atrace of nutmeg. Cover and cook very slowly, agitating them constantly. When they become soft, beat well and arrange a layer on a vegetabledish, sprinkle with Parmesan cheese, put on another layer of potatoes, then more cheese, and so on, having the top layer of cheese. Pour overall melted butter and bake about twenty minutes in a slow oven. 

=Cailles Rôtis. =--Tie a thin slice of bacon over the breast of eachquail, roast them at a clear fire for fifteen minutes, bastingfrequently. Lay them on crisp buttered toast, sprinkle with mincedparsley, salt and paprika, and serve with a rich wine jelly on aseparate dish. 

=Salade des Tomates et d'Artichauts. =--Cut the under part of boiledartichokes into slices and take the same number of slices of tomato. Dipboth into a dressing made of olive oil, vinegar, tarragon, chervil, saltand pepper, with a little mustard and arrange in a salad bowl. Pour overthe remainder of the dressing and serve. 

=Vol-au-Vent, Chantilly. =--Roll a pound of puff paste to about an eighthof an inch in thickness and cut out about thirty rounds with a flutedcutter, about two and a half inches in diameter. Then cut out the centerof these with a cutter about an inch across. Roll out the paste takenfrom the centers and cut out more rings in the same way. Brush the ringsover with egg, place one on top of another, two by two, press togetherso that they will stick, place on a baking sheet, brush over with eggand bake in a brisk oven. When almost done sprinkle with sugar and allowto remain in the oven till they are glazed and fully done. Remove andplace on a warmed platter and fill with any sort of cream desired, orjam or tart marmalade. 

XXII

MENU

 Potage Julienne Homard Bordelaise Canard à la Reine Salade à la Russe Café Bavaroise

=Potage Julienne. =--Cut carrots, onions, leeks and turnips into thinslices or strips of equal size with a head of celery. Put all into twoounces of butter melted in a saucepan and toss over a slow fire for afew minutes. If desired other vegetables in season such as cauliflower, peas or asparagus may be added. Pour clear chicken broth over thevegetables, put in some pieces of cold chicken, allow to come to a boil, then simmer till the vegetables are tender and pour the whole into thetureen with sippets of toast. 

=Homard Bordelaise. =--Cut a small carrot and an onion into fine piecesand boil for five minutes in a wineglassful of red wine. Now add themeat from two lobsters, cut in small pieces, say, about a pound and ahalf. Season with a very little pepper, salt, and a trace of nutmeg, adding, just before the lobster is cooked, about half a pint of veloutésauce. Stew well together and serve at once. 

=Canard à la Reine. =--Cut off one wing of a duck and half the breastfrom the same side, remove the skin, take out the bone and fill theplace with quenelle forcemeat. Lard the breast and put it into abraising pan over slices of leeks, carrots and onions and a littlethyme, chervil, bayleaves and lemon peel. Add sufficient stock toprevent burning, set the pan on the fire and braise the duck, then glazeit. Serve with a purée of beans for garnish. 

=Salade à la Russe. =--Cut cold chicken and salmon into thin slices, arrange in a salad dish and mix with finely cut cooked asparagus heads, carrots and cauliflower, a few capers and a little caviare. The dressingis made with three parts of oil and one of vinegar, a little mustard andcayenne pepper and a tablespoonful of minced onion. Pour over the saladand stand on the ice till served. 

=Café Bavaroise. =--Grind half a pound of green coffee, roast in a sugarboiler without burning it or even browning and soak a quart of milk withit for about an hour. Now stir into a cupful of flour a teaspoonful ofcastor sugar into which has been dropped a little vanilla extract, and alittle salt. Stir this all in with the strained coffee-flavored milk, bring to a boil, remove from the fire and stir in the yolks, then thewhites of three eggs, all beaten firm. Fill paper cases with themixture, bake, sprinkle castor sugar over the tops and serve at once. 

XXIII

MENU

 Huitres à l'Américaine Bœuf à l'Aurore Pommes de Terre, Lyonnaise Salade Française Crème à la Russe

=Huitres à l'Américaine. =--Place in a sauce bowl a heaped teaspoonful ofsalt, three-quarters of a teaspoonful of white pepper, a medium sizedonion, chopped, and a teaspoonful of minced parsley. Mix lightlytogether along with a teaspoonful of olive oil, six drops of tobascosauce, a little Worcestershire sauce and a gill of vinegar. Put ateaspoonful of this mixture on each raw oyster just before taking to thetable. 

=Bœuf à l'Aurore. =--Season two steaks of about three-quarters of a poundeach (any ordinary cut will do) with salt and pepper, baste on eitherside with a little oil and broil over a brisk fire for six minutes. Place on a hot dish and serve with the following sauce poured over: Mixin a saucepan a small glass of mushroom liquor with half a pint ofbechamel sauce, half an ounce of butter and two or three tablespoonfulsof tomato sauce. Place on the fire, stir for ten minutes and just beforeremoving add whole mushrooms cut in squares. 

=Salade Française. =--Chop fine a bunch of parsley, two small onions andsix anchovies. Lay them in a bowl and mix with salt and mustard totaste, two tablespoonfuls of salad oil and a gill of vinegar. Stir allwell together and then add, one at a time, some very thin strips of coldroasted or boiled meat, not more than three or four inches long. Shakethe slices well in the dressing. Cover the bowl closely and allow tostand for at least three hours. Serve garnished with parsley. 

=Pommes de Terre, Lyonnaise. =--Cut into round slices eight boiledpotatoes, lay them in a frying pan with an ounce and a half of butterand the slices of a partly cooked onion. Season with salt and pepper andcook till the potatoes become well browned, tossing all the while. Servewith chopped parsley sprinkled over. 

=Crème à la Russe. =--Put into a saucepan a pint of milk, half a pound oflump sugar, the grated rind of two lemons and an ounce of gelatine, previously soaked in water. Cook till the sugar dissolves over a slowfire, then allow the mixture to cool somewhat before stirring in theyolks of two eggs, unbeaten. Place on the fire to curdle. Strain, andwhen cool add the juice of the two lemons and the whites of the eggsbeaten stiffly. Stir all well together and pour into a wet mould. Turnout when well set. 

XXIV

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 Potage Napolitaine Truites à la Monbarry Croquettes de Pommes de Terre Celeri-rave en Salade Pouding aux Figues

=Potage Napolitaine. =--Boil in strong bouillon small forcemeat ballsmade of any left-over game or meat. Then soak croutons in the samebouillon. Add the forcemeat balls and serve. 

=Truites à la Monbarry. =--Prepare several trout and lay them in a panwith a quarter pound of butter and some strong spices. Allow to heatslowly in an open oven and when the butter is entirely melted, drop onthe trout two well beaten yolks of eggs. Grate cheese over this andcover all with a quantity of fine breadcrumbs. Brown lightly in a hotoven and serve. 

=Croquettes de Pommes de Terre. =--Boil and drain about two and a halfpounds of potatoes. Add a generous quantity of butter, yolks of twoeggs, salt and pepper and the white of the eggs beaten to a snow. Beatthe whole up briskly, shape the mixture into balls and fry in a pan. 

=Celeri-rave en Salade. =--Trim carefully a bunch of celery, leaving onas much of the root as possible. Cut in half and boil in salted watertill tender. Then trim into even sticks and season it very piquantlywith French mustard, a few young onions, pepper, salt and finely choppedparsley. Garnish with lettuce-leaves and slices of beet. 

=Pouding aux Figues. =--Mix in a large bowl a cupful of breadcrumbs, halfa cup of farina, a pinch of salt, a cup of suet, cut fine, a cup ofpowdered sugar, a minced carrot and a cup and a half of chopped figs. Grease a baking mould, line it with whole figs, and empty the mixtureinto it. Cook for four hours, the pan standing in water. Serve hot witha rum sauce. 

LET US EAT FISH

A FAMOUS FRENCH LUNCHEON À L'AMÉRICAINE

Only in the Latin countries has fish as an edible ever been fullyappreciated and, as is the case with most other things gastronomic, itis in France that the food possibilities of the denizens of the waterhave been brought nearest perfection. 

Over here we have always seemed to regard fish as useful chiefly forstocking aquariums or for furnishing sport for the vacationist, alongwith golf, tennis and bowling. True, we have become rather wellacquainted with certain sea foods, the oysters, Blue Points and CapeCods; we have a nodding acquaintance with some of the clam clan, especially the Rhode Island branch, and the Little Necks, the bluebloods of the family. And, of course, we are familiar with thecrustaceans, the lobsters and the crabs. 

And we know, too, certain succulent sea delicacies that come to us fromPalm Beach shores and California and Oregon regions, tuna and halibut, bluefish and salmon as it comes to us variously prepared for the table. In short, we Americans are fairly friendly with a number of thearistocrats of the water, but on analyzing the situation we come torealize that as for knowing the "finny tribe" as a whole well enough toget complete gastronomic joy out of the situation, it remains that it isonly the French people who are so blessed. 

Time and the hour and the high price of meat, however, render itadvisable, even absolutely necessary, that we work _all_ our resourcesinstead of only a part of them, to economize whenever and wherever wecan, and the waters in our midst and around us are surely one of themost important resources not already worked to the limit. 

Therefore, let us eat fish--but first let us learn of the French aboutfish, even as we have learned of them concerning other foods, or as wehave learned fashions, for, verily, the turning out of a proper fishdish for the table has ever been regarded by the French as no less anart than the creation of a beautiful frock in one of their ateliers. Moreover, their ways with fish are so broadly inclusive that one maymake up an entire menu from one end to the other, with only a cup ofcoffee needed as a final fillip to make a perfect meal--and all of fish. 

By way of furnishing inspiration to our own appetites, herewith is asuggestion for a fish luncheon, a favorite menu of France, which itswealth and fashion delighted to have set before it in those good olddays before the war. Substitutes are given for any fish not indigenousto American waters; otherwise it is just as it would be served at one ofthe Riviera restaurants, with the exception, of course, that on theRiviera or at any of the noted marine restaurants, the visitor himselfwas permitted to select the fish for each course from among thedifferent specimens swimming in the reserves, altogether unconscious ofimpending fate. 

No French restauranteur worthy the name ever kept dead fish in stock, for nothing deteriorates so quickly. There is rarely over here thenatural reserve that the Riviera takes as a matter of course, althoughthere is, in some restaurants, the tank of running water in which thefish are kept in condition till required. 

AN ALL FISH LUNCHEON

MENU

=Hors d'Œuvres. = =Little Necks or Blue Points. =

 (At Monte Carlo one would be served Clovisses. )

=Lobster with Sauce Piquante. =

 (A substitute for the French langouste, which is similar to a giant lobster minus the two long nippers. Or there might be served abroad for this course a little gelatinous fellow called supion, or sea-hedgehog, or perhaps nonnots, smaller and more delicate than our own whitefish. )

=French Sardines Grilled, or Shad Planked. =

 (Shad is a most satisfactory substitute for the French restauranteur's delight--loup de mer. )

=Flounder, Sauce Meunière, or Shrimps. =

 (In Dieppe sole and certain crevettes are both specialties and are served at this juncture, but little sole is being received here and our own flounder answers requirements admirably. Shrimps, too, will please an American palate fully as well as the crevettes. )

=Bouillabaisse. =

 (This, for which we have no nearer synonym than fish stew, which is a libel, is the pièce de résistance of the luncheon. It is probably the most famous fish dish of France. )

=Salade de Poisson with Aioli. =

 (Aioli is a Mediterranean mayonnaise and "the dressing, " the French say, "is the soul of the salad. ")

It will be noted that there is no dessert given with the above menu, butthe repast may be gracefully topped off with crackers and cheese andcafé noir. Tea is never served with fish, as the tannin is said torender fish particularly indigestible. 

TO PREPARE THE LUNCHEON

The French disdain the pepper, horseradish and tomato mixtures withwhich we are wont to dress raw oysters, preferring to get the fullcoppery taste peculiar to their home product, but the American oyster, even these artists of the culinary department agree, requires a dressingto bring out the flavor. As for the clovisse, which is, by the way, first cousin to our clam, it is eaten from the shell, each clovissebeing opened immediately before being disposed of. 

Lobster as here served to take the place of the French langouste, tastesmuch like deviled lobster. The sauce piquante is made as follows: Into asaucepan put a tablespoonful of finely chopped onion with a little salt, grated nutmeg, black pepper and an ounce of butter. When this melts andblends add a little chopped red pepper along with three tablespoonfulsof vinegar and a teaspoonful of mustard. Stir together well, then mix inhalf an ounce of flour and half a pint of fish stock. Simmer for half anhour, skimming occasionally and, finally add a chopped pickled gherkin. 

=Sauce Meunière=, served with the sole, or, in this case with theflounder, is made by adding a few shrimps and mussels, minced, to a pintof white wine in a saucepan, along with a cupful of minced mushrooms, ateaspoonful of butter, salt and pepper and three or four cloves. Simmerfor twenty minutes and pour over the fish just before serving. 

=Salade de Poisson, Aioli=, is made by taking any cold fish, say salmon, with this menu. It is flaked and marinaded in oil and vinegar seasonedwell with pepper and salt. Allow to remain for an hour or so, thenremove and arrange compactly in a salad bowl. The aioli, theMediterranean delicacy with which it is served, is made by whipping twoeggs, four teaspoonfuls of olive oil, a half teaspoonful of Frenchmustard and a half cupful of cream together till stiff, in a bowl rubbedwith garlic. Heap this on the center of the fish. 

As for the =Bouillabaisse=, it is like our own Welsh Rabbit in so far ashardly any two persons make it alike. Here are two recipes whichgastronomic authorities have accorded the meed of highest praise:

No. 1. --Cut into pieces and remove the bones from three pounds of fish;say one pound each of cod, halibut and bluefish, though any fish of likenature will do. To these add the cooked meat of one lobster or twocrabs, and six shrimps and put all into a casserole in half a pint ormore of olive oil to cook, adding one lemon, sliced, two tomatoes, oneonion, one sliced carrot, a bunch of saffron, a bunch of parsley, abayleaf and a clove of garlic--or have the casserole rubbed with thegarlic. Cook for ten minutes, stirring frequently, then add one cup ofsoup stock and a glass of wine or cider. Cook for fifteen minuteslonger, remove to a hot bowl, line the casserole with slices of toast, and pour back the bouillabaisse. Serve at once. 

No. 2. --Place the pieces of fish to any desired amount in a largesaucepan, add two or three sliced onions, one or two sliced carrots, three shallots, two cloves of garlic, a bunch of thyme and parsley, three or four cloves, two bayleaves, half a teaspoonful of capsicum, awine-glass of olive oil and salt and pepper to taste. Pour over theabove mixture two quarts of water and boil gently for half an hour, thepan covered. Drain and lay on a hot dish. Then mix a teaspoonful ofsaffron in the liquid, pass through a strainer into a soup tureen. Servethe soup with the fish and a plate of croutons of fried bread or sippetsof toast. 

FISH À LA MARSEILLES

The French have another fish dish which, like bouillabaisse, ispractically a meal in itself and which in these days should be betterknown to the American table. It is a specialty in the vicinity ofMarseilles and made there, of course, with fish peculiar to the homewaters, but M.  Auguste Gay, Chef of the Yale Club, New York, who, incidentally, has probably given more attention to the adaptation ofFrench cookery to American requirements than any other chef, isauthority for the statement that the following recipe produces an almostperfect substitute for the French dish:

Chop into fine bits a small sweet Chile pepper and toss it about in asaucepan over the fire with a third of a cupful of olive oil or butter. When hot add a cupful of okra and the same amount of stewed fresh orcanned tomatoes. Cook fifteen minutes and add a full cupful of cookedfresh fish--cod, haddock, etc. , and a half cupful of flaked salt fish, mackerel, for instance. Cover and cook for twenty minutes longer andserve with water crackers. 

GENERAL CONSIDERATIONS

One secret of the French cook's superiority to the American in preparingfish is that the former has almost a congenital knowledge of hissubject. To him all fish is not just fish. He differentiates sharply asto species, tempering his treatment to varied requirements. 

Roughly, there are two classes of fish: those which have dark flesh orflesh with a pinkish tone which is streaked with fat, and those whichhave white, firm flesh and are the more digestible. Best known in thefirst class are shad, butterfish, bluefish, salmon, mackerel andsturgeon, and in the second, cod, halibut, flounder, trout, rock and seabass, pompano, weakfish and perch. 

One matter-of-course rule is that no fish of whatever kind shall beallowed to enter the kitchen unless it is perfectly fresh. To be sureof this see that the gills are bright and shining and the flesh firm, not readily separating from the bones. That settled, you have an almostendless choice of ways of cooking. 

Fish may be boiled, broiled, fried, baked, planked, creamed, steamed, cooked en casserole, jellied or pickled, but of all these ways noneproduces quite the universally satisfactory results with a sizable fishthat planking does, and planking is not more difficult or expensive thanother methods. 

All that is required in the way of accoutrements is a half-inch-thickhardwood board which is heated in advance in the oven when planked fishis to figure on the menu. Then having thoroughly cleaned the fish, removed its head and tail, split it up the back half through the bone sothat it will open out flat, brush it with butter and season with pepperand salt, place it skin-side down on the board. 

Put it in the oven and when it is done, which can be easily ascertainedby lifting a bit of the flesh, you, being American, may garnish theboard with mashed and seasoned potatoes, set the board back in the oventill the potatoes are browned and serve. The French, on taking thecooked fish from the oven, merely brush it with a little oil or meltedbutter, squeeze some lemon juice over, sprinkle a few bits of parsleyabout, and send the fish thus to the table. 

Small fish, such as perch, smelts, etc. , are best fried in deep fat orits substitute, first being dipped in egg and rolled in fine cracker orbreadcrumbs, then served with a Sauce Mousseline, mashed potatoes orboiled new ones, and a crisp salad. 

This Sauce Mousseline is made by beating two eggs in a saucepan, addinga cupful of top milk, butter the size of a walnut and pepper and salt, then stirring over the fire till it begins to thicken. When of theproper consistency, add a tablespoonful of lemon juice and it is readyfor the table. 

A tart sauce for boiled fish that is much favored in the south of Francebut which, if it has ever crossed the water, has kept its arrival veryquiet, is quite simply made and will be much liked as a decided change. To make it dissolve a tablespoonful of powdered mustard in a half cupfulof fish stock and add two tablespoonfuls of white wine vinegar bypreference, though other vinegar will do. Let this come to a boil, addtwo or three slices of lemon and boil a few minutes longer. Take fromthe fire and add two eggs that have been beaten with a teaspoonful ofwater. Season with salt and pepper and heat again but do not allow toboil. 

 [ Transcriber's Note:

 The following is a list of corrections made to the original. The first line is the original line, the second the corrected one. 

 vinegars, Worchestershire and many another flavoring designed to give a vinegars, Worcestershire and many another flavoring designed to give a

 left of the morn ng cereal except to the advantage of some later made left of the morning cereal except to the advantage of some later made

 over a moderate fire and add to it chopped parsely and chives, or over a moderate fire and add to it chopped parsley and chives, or

 a boil and mix in two or three tablespoonsfuls of grated Parmesan cheese. A boil and mix in two or three tablespoonfuls of grated Parmesan cheese. 

 fish, cover in the kettle with cold water and, plenty of salt. Bring fish, cover in the kettle with cold water and plenty of salt. Bring

 and moisten with hot water, then add a few drops of vinegar a dash of and moisten with hot water, then add a few drops of vinegar, a dash of

 on each side of the bone, duct with pepper and salt, dip in flour, on each side of the bone, dust with pepper and salt, dip in flour, parsely, salt and paprika, and serve with a rich wine jelly on a parsley, salt and paprika, and serve with a rich wine jelly on a

 please an American palate fully as well as the crevettes. Please an American palate fully as well as the crevettes. )

 say, "is the soul of the salad. " say, "is the soul of the salad. ")

 ]