Woman's Institute Library of Cookery Volume IV Part 4

73. Salads made of fruit are undoubtedly the most delicious that can be prepared. In addition to being delightful in both appearance and flavor, they afford another means of introducing fruit into the diet. As fruit is decidedly beneficial for all persons with a normal digestion, every opportunity to include it in the diet should be grasped.

Some fruit salads are comparatively bland in flavor while others are much more acid, but the mild ones are neither so appetizing nor so beneficial as those which are somewhat tart. Advantage should be taken of the various kinds of fresh fruits during the seasons when they can be obtained, for usually very appetizing salads can be made of them.

However, the family need not be deprived of fruit salads during the winter when fresh fruits cannot be secured, for delicious salads can be made from canned and dried fruits, as well as from bananas and citrus fruits, which are usually found in all markets.

74. FRUIT-SALAD DRESSING.--Various dressings may be served with fruit salad, and usually the one selected depends on the preference of those to whom it is served. However, an excellent dressing for salad of this kind and one that most persons find delicious is made from fruit juices thickened by means of eggs. Whenever a recipe in this Section calls for a fruit-salad dressing, this is the one that is intended.

FRUIT-SALAD DRESSING

1/2 c. pineapple, peach, or pear juice 1/2 c. orange juice 1/4 c. lemon juice 1/4 c. sugar 2 eggs

Mix the fruit juices, add the sugar, beat the eggs slightly, and add them. Put the whole into a double boiler and cook until the mixture begins to thicken. Remove from the fire and beat for a few seconds with a rotary egg beater. Cool and serve.

75. COMBINATION FRUIT SALAD.--The combination of fruits given in the accompanying recipe makes a very good salad, but it need not be adhered to strictly. If one or more of the fruits is not in supply, it may be omitted and some other used. In case canned pineapple is used for the salad, the juice from the fruit may be utilized in making a fruit-salad dressing.

COMBINATION FRUIT SALAD (Sufficient to Serve Six)

1 grapefruit 2 oranges 1 banana 2 apples 2 slices pineapple Salad dressing Lettuce

Prepare the grapefruit and oranges according to the directions previously given. Slice the banana crosswise into 1/4-inch slices and cut each slice into four sections. Dice the apples and cut the pineapple in narrow wedge-shaped pieces. Mix the fruit just before serving. Add the salad dressing, which may be fruit-salad dressing, French dressing, or some other desirable salad dressing, by mixing it with the fruit or merely pouring it over the top. Serve on salad plates garnished with lettuce leaves. Place a maraschino cherry on top.

76. SUMMER COMBINATION SALAD.--Any agreeable combination of fruits which may be obtained during the same season will be suitable for summer combination salad. The combination given in the accompanying recipe includes strawberries, pineapple, and cherries. However, pineapple and cherries may be used alone, or strawberries and pineapple may be used without the cherries, or red raspberries may be used to garnish such a salad.

SUMMER COMBINATION SALAD (Sufficient to Serve Six)

3/4 c. strawberries, cut into halves 3/4 c. pineapple, cut into dice 3/4 c. sweet cherries, seeded Lettuce Fruit-salad dressing

Prepare the fruits just before serving. Put them together, place on salad plates garnished with lettuce, and serve with the fruit-salad dressing.

77. FILBERT-AND-CHERRY SALAD.--If something different in the way of salad is desired, cherries that have been seeded and then filled with filberts will prove a delightful change. With this salad, which is shown in Fig. 10, any salad dressing may be served, but fruit-salad dressing makes it especially delicious.

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 10]

78. DATE-AND-ENGLISH-WALNUT SALAD.--Persons who are fond of dates will find a salad made of dates and walnuts very palatable. In addition, such a salad is high in food value. Select firm whole dates, wash, and dry between clean towels. Cut a slit in the side of each date and remove the seed. Place half an English walnut meat inside and press the date together. Garnish salad plates with lettuce and serve five or six of the dates in a star shape for each serving. In the center, pour a spoonful or two of cream salad dressing, boiled salad dressing, or any other dressing that may be desired.

79. APPLE-DATE-AND-ORANGE SALAD.--The combination of fruits required by the accompanying recipe is an easy one to procure in the winter time.

Apple-and-date salad is a combination much liked, but unless it is served with a rather sour dressing, it is found to be too bland and sweet for most persons. The addition of the orange gives just the acid touch that is necessary to relieve this monotonous sweetness.

APPLE-DATE-AND-ORANGE SALAD (Sufficient to Serve Six)

1 c. diced apples Lettuce 3/4 c. dates, seeded Salad dressing 2 oranges Lettuce Salad Dressing

Peel the apples and dice them into fine pieces. Wash the dates, remove the seeds, and cut each date into six or eight pieces. Prepare the oranges as directed for preparing oranges for salad, and cut each section into two or three pieces. Just before serving, mix the fruits carefully so as not to make the salad look mushy, pile in a neat heap on garnished salad plates, and serve with any desired dressing.

80. CALIFORNIA SALAD.--During the months in which California grapes can be found in the market, a very delicious salad can be made by combining them with grapefruit and oranges. Either Malaga or Tokay grapes may be used.

CALIFORNIA SALAD (Sufficient to Serve Six)

1-1/2 c. grapes 2 oranges Salad 1 grapefruit Lettuce Salad Dressing

Prepare the grapes by was.h.i.+ng them in cold water, cutting them into halves, and removing the seeds. Remove the sections from the oranges and grapefruit in the way previously directed, and cut each section into three or four pieces. Mix the fruits and drain carefully so that they contain no juice or liquid. Pile in a heap on salad plates garnished with lettuce and serve with any desired dressing.

81. BANANA-AND-PEANUT SALAD.--A very good fruit-and-nut combination for a salad consists of bananas and ground peanuts. The bananas, after being cut in half lengthwise, are rolled in the peanuts, placed on a lettuce leaf, and served with dressing. If it is desired to improve the flavor, the bananas may be dipped into the salad dressing before being rolled in the peanuts.

Peel the required number of bananas, sc.r.a.pe the pithy material from their surface, and cut in half lengthwise. Grind the peanuts rather fine and roll each half of banana in them. Place on a garnished salad plate and serve with boiled dressing.

82. FRUIT IN CANTALOUPE Sh.e.l.lS.--During cantaloupe season, a delightful fruit salad can be made by combining several different kinds of fruit with the meat of cantaloupe and serving the mixture in the cantaloupe sh.e.l.ls. Such a salad is an excellent one to serve when dainty refreshments are desired or when something unusual is wanted for a nice luncheon.

Cut cantaloupes in half crosswise, and, using the French cutter, cut some of the meat into round b.a.l.l.s. Dice the remainder and mix with any combination of fruit desired. Place this in the cantaloupe sh.e.l.ls after cutting points in the top edge. Garnish with the b.a.l.l.s cut from the cantaloupe and serve with any desired dressing.

83. PINEAPPLE-AND-NUT SALAD.--Because of its refres.h.i.+ng flavor, pineapple makes a delicious salad. It may be combined with various foods, but is very good when merely nuts and salad dressing are used, as in the accompanying recipe.

Place slices of canned pineapple on salad plates garnished with lettuce leaves. Mix whipped cream with salad dressing until the dressing becomes stiff, and place a spoonful or two of this in the center of each slice of pineapple. Sprinkle generously with chopped nuts, English walnuts or pecans being preferable.

HIGH-PROTEIN SALADS

84. Salads that are made with cheese, eggs, fish, or meat may be cla.s.sed as HIGH-PROTEIN SALADS, for, as has already been learned, these foods are characterized by the protein they contain. Of course, those made almost entirely of meat or fish are higher in this food substance than the others. However, the salads that contain a combination of cheese and fruit are comparatively high in protein, and at the same time they supply to the diet what is desirable in the way of a fruit salad.

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 11]

85. POINSETTIA SALAD--Cream cheese, such as Neufchatel or Philadelphia cream cheese, combines very well with some fruits and vegetables. It is used with pineapple and cherries in the preparation of poinsettia salad, which is ill.u.s.trated in Fig. 11. As can be imagined, this makes a pretty decoration for a Christmas table or a salad to be served around holiday time.

POINSETTIA SALAD (Sufficient to Serve Six)

1 pkg. cream cheese Lettuce 2 Tb. cream 4 maraschino cherries 1/4 tsp. salt Salad dressing 6 rounds pineapple

Mix the cream cheese with the cream and salt, and form this into small round b.a.l.l.s with the fingers. Place the rounds of pineapple on salad plates garnished with lettuce, and put the cheese ball in the center of the pineapple. Cut the maraschino cherries in half, and then cut each half into narrow strips that resemble petals of a flower. Place five or six of these over the top of the cream cheese with the points meeting in the center, as shown in the ill.u.s.tration. Serve with any desired dressing, but instead of adding the dressing to the salad put it in a mayonnaise bowl and allow each person at the table to add it.

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 12]

SALADS AND SANDWICHES

86. PEACH-AND-CREAM-CHEESE SALAD--An excellent way of using canned peaches is to combine them with cream cheese for a salad, as shown in Fig. 12. If a smaller salad is desired, half a peach may be used and the cheese placed on top of it. Firm yellow peaches are the best ones to use for this dish.

PEACH-AND-CREAM-CHEESE SALAD (Sufficient to Serve Four)

Lettuce Salad dressing 8 halves of pecans or walnuts 2 Tb. cream 1/4 tsp. salt 1 pkg. Cream cheese 8 halves canned peaches

Mix the cream and salt with the cheese and shape into b.a.l.l.s. Place a ball between two peach halves, and press them together tightly. Place on garnished salad plates, pour salad dressing over the top, and garnish with two halves of the nuts. If desired, the nuts may be chopped and sprinkled over the top.

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 13]

87. PEAR-AND-CHEESE SALAD--If other fruits are not in supply for use in salad and pears can be obtained, they may be utilized with cream cheese in a pleasing way, as Fig. 13 shows.

PEAR-AND-CHEESE SALAD (Sufficient to Serve Four)

2 Tb. cream Lettuce 1/4 tsp. salt 4 halves English walnuts 1 pkg. cream cheese Salad dressing 8 halves canned pears