Salads, Sandwiches and Chafing-Dish Dainties Part 10

=Fish Salad Moulded in Aspic.=

Cover the bottom of a mould with aspic to the depth of one-fourth an inch. Set the mould in ice water, and, when the aspic is set, arrange upon it a decoration of cooked vegetables cut in shapes with French cutter, or fas.h.i.+on a conventional design or some flower. Dogwood blossoms provide a simple pattern, and one easily carried out. Cut the four petals from a thin slice of cooked turnip and the centre of the blossom from carrot or lemon peel. Fasten each piece in place with liquid jelly, and, when set, cover with more jelly. To decorate the sides of the mould, take the figures on the point of a skewer, dip in jelly, then set in position against the _chilled_ sides of the mould, and they will remain in place. After the jelly covering the figures on the bottom of the mould has "set," place a smaller mould in the centre of the aspic in the first, and fill this with ice and water. Pour in aspic to fill the s.p.a.ce about the smaller mould, and, when this aspic is firm, dip out the water and ice. Fill with _warm_ water and quickly remove the mould. Separate a pound of cooked fish into flakes, add half a cup of cold cooked peas, three or four gherkins, cut very fine, and three tablespoonfuls of capers. Mix together and then mix with one cup of mayonnaise made with jelly; with this fill the vacant s.p.a.ce in the mould. When ready to serve, dip the mould very quickly into warm water, letting the water rise to the top of the mould, and invert over a serving-dish; remove the mould, and garnish with lettuce, tiny gherkins cut to resemble fans, blocks of aspic, or aspic moulded in sh.e.l.ls, and mayonnaise.

=Fish Salad Moulded in Aspic, No. 2.=

Decorate the mould as before; then put in a layer of the fish and dressing; when set, add a layer of aspic; alternate the layers until the materials are used or the mould is filled. Individual moulds may be prepared in the same way.

=Salad of Mackerel or Bluefish.=

Separate a cooked fish into flakes and mix with the chopped whites and sifted yolks of three hard-boiled eggs. Season with French dressing, mix lightly and turn on to a bed of lettuce or cress, also seasoned with the dressing. Garnish with fans cut from small gherkins, or with pickled beet cut in fanciful shape or chopped.

=Salad of Salt Mackerel.=

Freshen the fish carefully before cooking. Use equal parts of fish, flaked, and cold boiled potatoes. If potatoes are specially prepared for the purpose, cut them in cubes or b.a.l.l.s, blanch, and cook in well-seasoned beef stock; drain, and add, when cold, to the fish. Season with French dressing. Arrange on a bed of cress and sift the yolk of an egg over the whole.

=Salad of Shad Roe and Cuc.u.mber.=

Cook two shad roes with an onion, sliced, and a bay leaf, in salted, acidulated water twenty minutes; drain, and marinate with about two tablespoonfuls of oil, one tablespoonful of lemon juice and a dash of pepper and salt. When cold cut in small cubes. Rub the salad-bowl with a clove of garlic cut in halves. Cut a thoroughly chilled cuc.u.mber in dice; put the cuc.u.mber on a bed of lettuce leaves in the bottom of the bowl, and the roe, well drained, above; mask with mayonnaise,--nearly a cup will be required,--in the top insert a few heart leaves of lettuce, and place around the centre of the mound a circle of cuc.u.mber slices overlapping one another; or alternate these with lozenges cut from pickled beet.

=Boudins-de-Saumon Salad.=

b.u.t.ter four small dariole moulds, or small cups; sprinkle the b.u.t.ter with chopped parsley. Select four small pieces of cooked salmon, dry on a soft cloth so as to remove all oily liquor, and put a piece in each mould. Beat two eggs (or, better, one egg and the yolks of two) slightly, season with one-fourth a teaspoonful of salt, a dash of paprica and a few drops of anchovy essence or onion juice; add half a cup of milk, and, when well mixed, pour into the moulds around the fish.

Set the moulds in a pan of hot water and bake until the custard is set.

Do not let the water boil. Chill thoroughly, then turn from the moulds on to lettuce leaves. Serve with a star of mayonnaise dressing on the top of each _boudin_.

=Russian Salad.=

(BOSTON COOKING-SCHOOL.)

INGREDIENTS.

1 cup of carrots.

1 cup of potatoes.

1 cup of peas.

1 cup of beans (flageolets preferred).

6 tablespoonfuls of oil.

3 tablespoonfuls of vinegar.

1 teaspoonful of salt.

1/4 a teaspoonful of pepper.

A head of lettuce.

1 cup of mayonnaise.

1 cup of shrimps.

1/4 a lb. of smoked salmon.

1 hard-boiled egg.

_Method._--Marinate the carrots and potatoes, cut in small pieces, also the peas and beans, with French dressing. Arrange on a dish in four sections, having lettuce for the foundation of each. Cover each vegetable with mayonnaise. Strew the tops of two sections with small pieces of smoked salmon; on a third section strew the sifted yolk of the egg, and on the fourth, the white of the egg, cut rather coa.r.s.ely.

Outline the inner side of each section with shrimps, by lightly pressing the ends of the shrimps into the mayonnaise. Finish with a tuft of lettuce in the centre of the dish.

=Spanish Salad.=

In the centre of a flat serving-dish arrange a mound of endive. Peel tomatoes, divide into sections or cut in slices, and arrange these around the endive. Sh.e.l.l cold, hard-boiled eggs; cut in halves, crosswise, and in points; remove the yolks and pound to a paste with an equal amount of the flesh of lobster, shrimp, anchovies or salmon. With this paste, seasoned to taste with oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper, fill the cups fas.h.i.+oned from the whites of the eggs, and arrange them around the tomatoes. Strew chopped shallot and sweet pepper over the endive. Mix equal portions of oil and vinegar, add salt and pepper to taste, and pour over the salad. Serve at once.

=Salmon Salad.=

(_For evening company, or fish course at a dinner party._)

INGREDIENTS.

Hard-boiled eggs.

1 teaspoonful of gelatine, softened in one tablespoonful of cold water.

1 pint of string beans or asparagus tips.

1 pint of cooked peas.

French dressing.

2 slices of salmon, 2 inches thick.

Jelly mayonnaise, or fancy b.u.t.ter.

Capers.

_Method._--Cut the eggs into halves lengthwise; cut a thin slice from the round ends, that the pieces may be set upright; dip lightly in the gelatine dissolved over hot water, and arrange _miroton_ fas.h.i.+on around an oval serving-dish. Set aside, that the eggs may become fixed in position. Marinate the vegetables, separately, with French dressing; cook the salmon by the directions previously given; remove the skin and cover the sides with jelly mayonnaise or fancy b.u.t.ter. When cold decorate with whites of eggs and capers. Use the tr.i.m.m.i.n.gs from the eggs, and fix them in place by dipping in jelly mayonnaise. Set aside for the decorations to become fixed. Drain the vegetables and arrange inside the border, higher in the centre. Lay the decorated slices of fish upon opposite sides of the mound, and serve either with or without mayonnaise.

=Halibut Salad.=

(_For evening company, or fish course at a dinner party._)

INGREDIENTS.

A slice of chicken halibut, 3 inches thick.

3 cups of cooked peas.

French dressing.

Hard-boiled eggs.

3 slices of pickled beet.

1 teaspoonful of gelatine.

Jelly mayonnaise, or green b.u.t.ter.

Heart leaves of lettuce.

2 olives.

_Method._--Prepare the eggs and fasten to the plate as in salmon salad.

Dip diamond-shaped pieces of pickled beet in the dissolved gelatine and place upon the front and top of each half of egg. Spread the edge of the fish, after removing the skin, with jelly mayonnaise, or green b.u.t.ter, and, when set, decorate with figures cut from the cooked white of an egg. With forcing-bag and tube shape a pattern around the upper edge of the fish. Place the fish in the centre of the crown or _miroton_ of eggs, with the peas seasoned with French dressing around it; cover the place from which the bone was taken with the centre of a head of lettuce, cut in halves, and two fine olives. Serve with a bowl of mayonnaise.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Russian Salad.]