FIRST COURSE
FRUITS
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FRUITS
Oranges
Salpicon of fruits on glass plate
Salpicon of fruits in glasses
Grape-fruit
Strawberries on individual plates
Individual pineapples
Currants on individual plates
Frosted currants
Muskmelon
COCKTAILS, CANAPÉS, OYSTERS, CLAMS
Clam cocktails
Oyster cocktails
Anchovy eggs
Salmon canapés, heart-shaped
Anchovy canapés
Canapés of caviare
Oysters on the half shell
Clams on the half shell
Bread and butter sandwiches with oysters and clams
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FRUITS
No. 1. =Oranges.= Cut off the tops of the oranges. Scrape out the pulp
and draw a narrow ribbon through each top, passing the two ends
through with a bodkin and tying them on the under side. Drawing
through the ribbon soils it. Tie a bow on top.
Loosen the pulp of the orange, using a silver knife, so it can be
eaten with a spoon. Add a little sugar if necessary, and a
teaspoonful of sherry, if desired.
No. 2. =Salpicon of fruits.= Place in the center of a glass plate some
pieces of the pulp of an orange or grape-fruit, or both mixed
together. Arrange around them a double row of white grapes cut in
halves and with the seeds removed.
=Salpicon of fruits in glasses.= This is a mixture of fruits such
as grape-fruit, grapes, oranges, bananas, and pineapple, or any
combination convenient. Divide the oranges and grape-fruit into
sections, then carefully take off the skins and remove the seeds.
Leave the pulp in large pieces; add enough sugar to sweeten and a
little sherry if desired. Cut the grapes in halves and remove the
seeds. Place the mixture in individual glasses and add two or
three candied cherries to each glass.
=Grape-fruit.= Prepare grape-fruit as directed above. Sweeten it
and make it very cold. Place it in individual glasses with a
candied cherry in the center. At the last moment add a teaspoonful
of cracked ice to each glass.
[Illustration: NO. 18. 1. SALPICON OF FRUIT ON GLASS PLATE. 2.
ORANGE.]
[Illustration: NO. 19. INDIVIDUAL DISH OF STRAWBERRIES.]
=Strawberries.= Press powdered sugar into a small cup or glass to
mold it. Turn the sugar into the center of a dish and arrange
around it carefully selected strawberries. Leave the hulls on the
berries and serve in individual portions.
=Individual pineapples.= Cut small pineapples in two. Cut the ends
so the pieces will stand straight. Cut out the centers and tear
the pulp into pieces, then return it to the cups formed by the
skins. Sweeten with powdered sugar; add a tablespoonful of sherry,
if desired, to each portion. Let them stand a little while to
extract the juice. At the moment of serving add a teaspoonful of
cracked ice to each cup. Serve as a first course at luncheon, or
before the game at dinner.
A variety called strawberry pines are best suited for this dish.
They are sometimes so small that a whole one may be used as one
portion.
[Illustration: NO. 20. INDIVIDUAL DISHES OF STRAWBERRY
PINEAPPLES.]
=Currants.= Make a mound of sugar as directed for strawberries.
Place around the sugar bunches of cherry currants, as in No. 1, or
pile them on grape leaves as in No. 2. White and red currants may
be placed in the same dish. Serve in individual portions as first
course at luncheon or at breakfast.
[Illustration: NO. 21. INDIVIDUAL DISHES OF CURRANTS.]
[Illustration: NO. 22. FROSTED CURRANTS.]
=Frosted currants.= Stem large cherry currants. Put them in a dish
with a quantity of granulated sugar and shake them together. The
moisture of the currants will cause enough sugar to adhere to
completely cover them. Turn them off the sugar and serve at once
before the sugar loses its dryness. Serve them on leaves in
individual portions, or pass them as a first course at luncheon or
breakfast. This is a very pretty way of serving currants.
[Illustration: NO. 23. MUSKMELON.]
=Muskmelon.= The muskmelon should be very ripe and very cold. Cut
the melons in two and serve with cracked ice in each half. If the
melon is not too large serve a half as one portion. Serve on
individual plates, or pass as first course for breakfast,
luncheon, or dinner. Pass salt and sugar.
For other arrangements of fruits see “Century Cook Book,” page
529.
CLAM OR OYSTER COCKTAILS
Use small Little Neck clams or small Blue Point oysters.
To each 8 or 10 clams or oysters use:
One tablespoonful of tomato catsup,
Two tablespoonfuls of Chili sauce,
One half teaspoonful of Worcestershire sauce,
A dash of tabasco or of paprika,
One tablespoonful of clam or oyster liquor,
The juice of one quarter of a lemon.
Mix the sauces and let the clams or oysters stand in them for an hour
before serving.
Serve in small glasses as a first course.
[Illustration: NO. 24. ANCHOVY EGGS.]
ANCHOVY EGGS
Cut hard-boiled eggs in two lengthwise, using a thin-bladed, sharp
knife. Have the eggs boiled twenty-five minutes so the yolks will be
crumby.
Remove the yolks, mash them, and mix them with mayonnaise and the
trimmings of the anchovies. Just before serving, fill the white halves
with the yolk mixture, covering the whole top, heaping it in the middle
and leaving a rough surface. Trim anchovies to the right length and lay
two of them crossed over the top of each egg. Set each piece on a round
of bread sautéd in butter. Slice a little piece off the bottom of the
egg to make it stand firm.
Serve on individual plates.
Anchovies preserved in oil are put up in small bottles and can be
purchased from a grocer.
[Illustration: NO. 25. HEART-SHAPED SALMON CANAPÉS.]
HEART-SHAPED SALMON CANAPÉS
Cut very light bread into slices one quarter of an inch thick. Stamp
them with a cutter into heart shapes. Spread them thinly on both sides
with butter and put them in the oven to brown; or sauté them in butter.
Let them cool, then lay on each one a slice of Nova Scotia smoked
salmon, cut as thin as possible. Place around the edges of the heart a
border of chopped white of hard-boiled eggs, and a little crumbed yolk
just at the upper point of the heart, making a round spot. The salmon
must not be entirely covered with egg, so that the hearts may show three
colors. Serve on individual plates, with a small piece of parsley at the
rounded end.
Nova Scotia salmon can be bought at delicatessen stores.
[Illustration: NO. 26. OYSTERS AND CLAMS ON THE HALF SHELL.]
ANCHOVY CANAPÉS
Cut fresh bread into slices quarter of an inch thick, then into rounds
two and a half inches in diameter. Spread the rounds of bread with
butter, season with a little salt, pepper, and mustard.
Split and trim the anchovies to uniform length and arrange them on the
bread in rosette form. Fill the spaces between the anchovy fillets with
the chopped white and the crumbed yolk of hard-boiled eggs and make a
border around the bread with the white. Use a little chopped parsley in
the decoration.
For other canapés, see “Century Cook Book,” page 368.
CANAPÉS OF CAVIARE
Cut very light bread into slices quarter of an inch thick, then into
rounds or squares two inches across. Sauté them in butter on one side.
When they are cold spread them with a thin covering of caviare moistened
with a little oil and lemon juice. Place on the top of each one a very
thin slice of lemon.
Caviare is the fermented roe of the sturgeon. It is a dish much esteemed
in Russia, but the taste for it is not very general in other countries,
so discretion should be used in serving it.
It comes in small jars and can be obtained at grocers’.
OYSTERS OR CLAMS ON THE HALF SHELL
Raw oysters and clams are served on the “half shell” for a first course.
Blue Point oysters and Little Neck clams are the varieties preferred.
The smallest ones, and those uniform in size, should be selected. They
should be opened only a short time before serving. The muscle holding
the mollusk to the shell is cut and the oyster or clam is served on the
deep valve.
Arrange the clams or oysters symmetrically in a circle, the beaks turned
to the center, on a bed of cracked ice. Place in the middle a quarter of
a lemon cut lengthwise, the top edge shaved off and the seeds extracted.
Rest the piece of lemon on a sprig of parsley or any green leaf.
Condiments, thin brown bread and butter sandwiches, and biscuits are
passed with this course.
The condiments (horseradish and tomato catsup, black and red pepper) may
be placed on a dish, and the bread and biscuits arranged around them as
in illustration.
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