Peel and cut into dice enough fruit, peaches, tart plums, orange and
banana to fill a cup and a cupful of crisp celery cut fine; have both
ice cold; at serving time mix and cover with a cream dressing and
garnish with celery tops.
[3]CUCUMBER JELLY.
Half a box of gelatine soaked for an hour in half a cup of cold water.
Remove the seeds from a small green pepper, peel and cut into slices
two large, fine, fresh cucumbers, or three small ones and a small white
onion. Put in a saucepan, add a bay leaf and a bouquet of parsley, cover
with boiling water and cook until tender; remove the parsley and bay
leaf, add a saltspoonful of sugar, salt to taste--more than a
teaspoonful will be required--and press through a fine sieve. There
should be, when strained, two cups and a half. Pour it over the soaked
gelatine--if it is not hot enough to dissolve the gelatine place the
saucepan over the fire for a moment--then run it through the same sieve
again; set aside in a bowl to cool. When perfectly cold and beginning to
congeal, stir it well and pour into a pretty, round mould; set it on ice
until ready to serve. Turn it out on a plate and arrange fresh, crisp,
young lettuce leaves around it, into each of which put a spoonful of
mayonnaise or cream dressing.
[3] This jelly may be colored a delicate green by using extract of
spinach (see recipe, page 164). Its appearance is much improved
thereby.