A salad should come to the table fresh and crisp. The garnishes should
be of the lightest and freshest kind. Nothing is more out of place
than a delicate salad covered with hard-boiled eggs, boiled beets,
etc. A salad with which the mayonnaise dressing is used, should have
only the delicate white leaves of the celery, or the small leaves from
the heart of the lettuce, and these should be arranged in a wreath at
the base, with a few tufts here and there on the salad. The contrast
between the creamy dressing and the light green is not great, but it
is pleasing. In arranging a salad on a dish, or in a bowl, handle it
very lightly. Never use pressure to get it into form. When a jelly
border is used with salads, some of it should be helped with the
salad. The small round radishes may be arranged in the dish with a
lettuce salad. In washing lettuce great care must be taken not to
break or wilt it. The large, dark green leaves are not nice for salad.
As lettuce is not an expensive vegetable, it is best, when the heads
are not round and compact, to buy an extra one and throw the large
tough leaves away. In winter and early spring, when lettuce is raised
in hot-houses, it is liable to have insects on it. Care must be taken
that all are washed off. Only the white, crisp parts of celery should
be used in salads. The green, tough parts will answer for stews and
soups. Vegetable salads can be served for tea and lunch and with, or
after, the meats at dinner. The hot cabbage, red cabbage, celery,
cucumber and potato salads, are particularly appropriate for serving
with meats. The lettuce salad, with the French dressing, and the
dressed celery, are the best to serve after the meats. A rich salad,
like chicken, lobster or salmon, is out of place at a company dinner.
It is best served for suppers and lunches. The success of a salad
(after the dressing is made) depends upon keeping the lettuce or
celery crisp and not adding meat or dressing to it until the time for
serving.
Mayonnaise Dressing.
A table-spoonful of mustard, one of sugar, one-tenth of a teaspoonful
of cayenne, one teaspoonful of salt, the yolks of three uncooked eggs,
the juice of half a lemon, a quarter of a cupful of vinegar, a pint of
oil and a cupful of whipped cream. Beat the yolks and dry ingredients,
until they are very light and thick, with either a silver or wooden
spoon--or, better still, with a Dover beater of second size. The bowl
in which the dressing is made should be set in a pan of ice water
during the beating. Add a few drops of oil at a time until the
dressing becomes very _thick_ and rather hard. After it has
reached this stage the oil can be added more rapidly. When it gets so
thick that the beater turns hard, add a little vinegar. When the last
of the oil and vinegar has been added it should be very thick. Now add
the lemon juice and whipped cream, and place on ice for a few hours,
unless you are ready to use it. The cream may be omitted without
injury.
Salad Dressing Made at the Table.
The yolk of a raw egg, a table-spoonful of mixed mustard, one-fourth
of a teaspoonful of salt, six table-spoonfuls of oil. Stir the yolk,
mustard and salt together with a fork until they begin to thicken. Add
the oil, gradually, stirring all the while. More or less oil can be
used.
Cream Salad Dressing.
Two eggs, three table-spoonfuls of vinegar, one of cream, one
teaspoonful of sugar, one-fourth of a teaspoonful of salt, one-fourth
of a teaspoonful of mustard. Beat two eggs well. Add the sugar, salt
and mustard, then the vinegar, and the cream. Place the bowl in a
basin of boiling water, and stir until about the thickness of rich
cream. If the bowl is thick and the water boils all the time, it will
take about five minutes. Cool, and use as needed.
Red Mayonnaise Dressing.
Lobster "coral" is pounded to a powder, rubbed through a sieve, and
mixed with mayonnaise dressing. This gives a dressing of a bright
color. Or, the juice from boiled beets can be used instead of "coral."
Green Mayonnaise Dressing.
Mix enough spinach green with mayonnaise sauce to give it a bright
green color. A little finely-chopped parsley can be added.
Aspic Mayonnaise Dressing.
Melt, but heat only slightly, one cupful of aspic jelly; or, one
cupful of consommé will answer, if it is well jellied. Put in a bowl
and place in a basin of ice water. Have ready the juice of half a
lemon, one cupful of salad oil, one-fourth of a cupful of vinegar, one
table-spoonful of sugar, one scant table-spoonful of mustard, one
teaspoonful of salt and one-tenth of a teaspoonful of cayenne. Mix the
dry ingredients with the vinegar. Beat the jelly with a whisk, and as
soon as it begins to thicken, add the oil and vinegar, a little at a
time. Add the lemon juice the last thing. You must beat all the time
after the bowl is placed in the ice water. This gives a whiter
dressing than that made with the yolks of eggs.
Boiled Salad Dressing.
Three eggs, one table-spoonful each of sugar, oil and salt a scant
table-spoonful of mustard, a cupful of milk and one of vinegar. Stir
oil, salt, mustard and sugar in a bowl until perfectly smooth. Add the
eggs, and beat well; then add the vinegar, and finally the milk. Place
the bowl in a basin of boiling water, and stir the dressing until it
thickens like soft custard. The time of cooking depends upon the
thickness of the bowl. If a common white bowl is used, and it is
placed in water that is boiling at the time and is kept constantly
boiling, from eight to ten minutes will suffice; but if the bowl is
very thick, from twelve to fifteen minutes will be needed. The
dressing will keep two weeks if bottled tightly and put in a cool
place.
Sour Cream Salad Dressing.
One cupful of sour cream, one teaspoonful
of salt, a speck of cayenne, one table-spoonful of lemon juice, three
of vinegar, one teaspoonful of sugar. Mix all together thoroughly.
This is best for vegetables.
Sardine Dressing.
Pound in a mortar, until perfectly smooth, the yolks of four hard-
boiled eggs and three sardines, which have been freed of bones, if
there were any. Add the mixture to any of the thick dressings, like
the mayonnaise or the boiled. This dressing is for fish.
Salad Dressing Without Oil.
The yolks of four uncooked eggs, one table-spoonful of salt, one
heaping teaspoonful of sugar, one heaping teaspoonful of mustard,
half a cupful of clarified chicken fat, a quarter of a cupful of
vinegar, the juice of half a lemon, a speck of cayenne. Make as
directed for mayonnaise dressing.
Salad Dressing made with Butter.
Four table-spoonfuls of butter, one of flour, one table-spoonful of
salt, one of sugar, one heaping teaspoonful of mustard, a speck of
cayenne, one cupful of milk, half a cupful of vinegar, three eggs. Let
the butter get hot in a sauce-pan. Add the flour, and stir until
smooth, being careful not to brown. Add the milk, and boil up. Place
the sauce-pan in another of hot water. Beat the eggs, salt, pepper,
sugar and mustard together, and add the vinegar. Stir this into the
boiling mixture, and stir until it thickens like soft custard, which
will be in about fire minutes. Set away to cool; and when cold,
bottle, and place in the ice-chest. This will keep two weeks.
Bacon Salad Dressing.
Two table-spoonfuls of bacon or pork fat, one of flour, one of lemon
juice, half a teaspoonful of salt, one teaspoonful of sugar, one of
mustard, two eggs, half a cupful of water, half a cupful of vinegar.
Have the fat hot. Add the flour, and stir until smooth, but not brown.
Add the water, and boil up once. Place the sauce-pan in another of
boiling water. Have the eggs and seasoning beaten together. Add the
vinegar to the boiling mixture, and stir in the beaten egg. Cook four
minutes, stirring all the while. Cool and use. If corked tightly, this
will keep two weeks in a cold place.
French Salad Dressing.
Three table-spoonfuls of oil, one of vinegar, one salt-spoonful of
salt, one-half a salt-spoonful of pepper. Put the salt and pepper in a
cup, and add one table-spoonful of the oil. When thoroughly mixed, add
the remainder of the oil and the vinegar. This is dressing enough for
a salad for six persons. If you like the flavor of onion, grate a
little juice into the dressing. The juice is obtained by first peeling
the onion, and then grating with a coarse grater, using a good deal of
pressure. Two strokes will give about two drops of juice--enough for
this rule.
Chicken Salad.
Have cold roasted or boiled chicken free of skin, fat and bones. Place
on a board, and cut in long, thin strips, and cut these into dice.
Place in an earthen bowl (there should be two quarts), and season with
four table-spoonfuls of vinegar, two of oil, one teaspoonful of salt
and one-half of a teaspoonful of pepper. Set away in a cold place for
two or three hours. Scrape and wash enough of the tender white celery
to make one quart. Cut this, with a sharp knife, in pieces about half
an inch thick. Put these in the ice chest until serving time. Make the
mayonnaise dressing. Mix the chicken and celery together, and add half
of the dressing. Arrange in a salad bowl or on a flat dish, and pour
the remainder of the dressing over it. Garnish with white celery
leaves. Or, have a jelly border, and arrange the salad in this. Half
celery and half lettuce is often used for chicken salad. Many people,
when preparing for a large company, use turkey instead of chicken,
there being so much more meat in the same number of pounds of the raw
material; but the salad is not nearly so nice as with chicken. If,
when the chicken or fowl is cooked, it is allowed to cool in the water
in which it is boiled, it will be juicier and tenderer than if taken
from the water as soon as done.
Lobster Salad.
Cut up and season the lobster the same as chicken. Break the leaves
from a head of lettuce, one by one, and wash them singly in a large
pan of cold water. Put them in a pan of ice water for about ten
minutes, and then shake in a wire basket, to free them of water. Place
in the ice chest until serving time. When ready to serve, put two or
three leaves together in the form of a shell, and arrange these shells
on a flat dish. Mix one-half of the mayonnaise dressing with the
lobster. Put a table-spoonful of this in each cluster of leaves.
Finish with a teaspoonful of the dressing on each spoonful of lobster.
This is an exceedingly inviting dish. Another method is to cut or tear
the leaves rather coarse, and mix with the lobster. Garnish the border
of the dish with whole leaves. There should be two-thirds lobster to
one-third lettuce.
Salmon Salad.
One quart of cooked salmon, two heads of lettuce, two table-spoonfuls
of lemon juice, one of vinegar, two of capers, one teaspoonful of
salt, one-third of a teaspoonful of pepper, one cupful of mayonnaise
dressing, or the French dressing. Break up the salmon with two silver
forks. Add to it the salt, pepper, vinegar and lemon juice. Put in the
ice chest or some other cold place, for two or three hours. Prepare
the lettuce as directed for lobster salad. At serving time, pick out
leaves enough to border the dish. Cut or tear the remainder in pieces,
and arrange these in the centre of a flat dish. On them heap the
salmon lightly, and cover with the dressing. Now sprinkle on the
capers. Arrange the whole leaves at the base, and, if you choose, lay
one-fourth of a thin slice of lemon on each leaf.
Oyster Salad.
One pint of celery, one quart of oysters, one-third of a cupful of
mayonnaise dressing, three table-spoonfuls of vinegar, one of oil,
half a teaspoonful of salt, one-eighth of a teaspoonful of pepper, one
table-spoonful of lemon juice. Let the oysters come to a boil in their
own liquor. Skim well and drain. Season them with the oil, salt,
pepper, vinegar and lemon juice. When cold, put in the ice chest for
at least two hours. Scrape and wash the whitest and tenderest part of
the celery, and, with a sharp knife, cut in _very_ thin slices.
Put in a bowl with a large lump of ice, and set in the ice chest until
serving time. When ready to serve, drain the celery, and mix with the
oysters and half of the dressing. Arrange in the dish, pour the
remainder of the dressing over, and garnish with white celery leaves.
Sardine Salad.
Arrange one quart of any kind of cooked fish on a bed of crisp
lettuce. Split six sardines, and if there are any bones, remove them.
Cover the fish with the sardine dressing. Over this put the sardines,
having the ends meet in the centre of the dish. At the base, of the
dish mate a wreath of thin slices of lemon. Garnish with parsley or
lettuce, and serve immediately.
Shad Roe Salad.
Three shad roe, boiled in salted water twenty minutes. When cold, cut
in _thin_ slices. Season and set away, the same as salmon. Serve
the same as salmon, except omit the capers, and use chopped pickled
beet.
Salads of Fish.
All kinds of cooked fish can be served in salads. Lettuce is the best
green salad to use with them, but all green vegetables, when cooked
and cold, can be added to the fish and dressing. The sardine and
French dressings are the best to use with fish.
Polish Salad.
One quart of cold game or poultry, cut very fine; the French dressing,
four hard-boiled eggs, one large, or two small heads of lettuce.
Moisten the meat with the dressing, and let it stand in the ice chest
two or three hours. Rub the yolks of the eggs to a powder, and chop
the whites very fine. Wash the lettuce and put in the ice chest until
serving time. When ready to serve, put the lettuce leaves together and
cut in long, narrow strips with a _sharp_ knife, or tear it with
a fork. Arrange on a dish, heap the meat in the centre, and sprinkle
the egg over all.
Beef Salad.
One quart of cold roasted or stewed beef--it must be very tender,
double the rule for French dressing, one table-spoonful of chopped
parsley, and one of onion juice, to be mixed with the dressing. Cut
the meat in _thin_ slices, and then into little squares. Place a
layer in the salad bowl, sprinkle with parsley and dressing, and
continue this until all the meat is used. Garnish with parsley, and
keep in a cold place for one of two hours. Any kind of meat can be
used instead of beef.
Meat and Potato Salad.
Prepare the meat as directed for beef salad, using, however, one-half
the quantity. Add one pint of cold boiled potatoes, cut in thin
slices, and dressing. Garnish, and set away as before. These salads
can be used as soon as made, but the flavor is improved by their
standing an hour or more.
Bouquet Salad.
Four hard-boiled eggs, finely chopped; one head of lettuce, or one
pint of water cresses; a large bunch of nasturtium blossoms or
buttercups, the French dressing, with the addition of one teaspoonful
of sugar. Wash the lettuce or cresses, and throw into ice water. When
crisp, take out, and shake out all the water. Cut or tear in pieces.
Put a layer in the bowl, with here and there a flower, and sprinkle in
half of the egg and half the dressing. Repeat this. Arrange the
flowers in a wreath, and put a few in the centre. Serve immediately.
Cauliflower Salad.
Boil one large cauliflower with two quarts of water and one table-
spoonful of salt, for half an hour. Take up and drain. When cold,
divide into small tufts. Arrange on the centre of a dish and garnish
with a border of strips of pickled beet. Pour cream dressing, or a
cupful of mayonnaise dressing, over the cauliflower. Arrange a star of
the pickled beet in the centre. Serve immediately.
Asparagus Salad.
Boil two bunches of asparagus with one quart of water and one table-
spoonful of salt, for twenty minutes. Take up and drain on a sieve.
When cold, cut off the tender points, and arrange diem on the dish.
Pour on cream salad dressing.
Asparagus and Salmon Salad.
Prepare the asparagus as before directed. Season a quart of cooked
salmon with one teaspoonful of salt, one-third of a teaspoonful of
pepper, three table-spoonfuls of oil, one of vinegar and two of lemon
juice. Let this stand in the ice chest at least two hours. Arrange the
salmon in the centre of the dish and the asparagus points around it.
Cover the fish with one cupful of mayonnaise dressing. Garnish the
dish with points of lemon. Green peas can be used instead of
asparagus.
Cucumber Salad.
Cut about one inch off of the point of the cucumber, and pare. (The
bitter juice is in the point, and if this is not cut off before
paring, the knife carries the flavor all through the cucumber.) Cut in
thin slices, cover with cold water, and let stand half an hour. Drain,
and season with French dressing. If oil is not liked it can be
omitted.
Tomato Salad.
Pare ripe tomatoes (which should be very cold), and cut in thin
slices. Arrange on a flat dish. Put one teaspoonful of mayonnaise
dressing in the centre of each slice. Place a delicate border of
parsley around the dish, and a sprig here and there between the slices
of tomato.
Cabbage Salad.
One large head of cabbage, twelve eggs, two small cupfuls of sugar,
two teaspoonfuls of salt, one table-spoonful of melted butter, two
teaspoonfuls of mustard, one cupful of vinegar, or more, if you like.
Divide the cabbage into four pieces, and wash well in cold water. Take
off all the wilted leaves and cut out the tough, hard parts. Cut the
cabbage very fine with a _sharp_ knife. Have the eggs boiled
hard, and ten of them chopped fine. Add these and the other
ingredients to the cabbage. Arrange on a dish and garnish with the two
remaining eggs and pickled beets.
Hot Cabbage Salad.
One quart of finely-shaved cabbage, two table-spoonfuls of bacon or
pork fat, two large slices of onion, minced _very fine_; one
teaspoonful of salt, one-fourth of a teaspoonful of pepper, half a
cupful of vinegar, one teaspoonful of sugar. Pry the onion in the fat
until it becomes yellow; then add the other ingredients. Pour the hot
mixture on the cabbage. Stir well, and serve at once. Lettuce can be
served in the same manner.
Vegetable Salad.
A spoonful of green parsley, chopped fine with a knife; six potatoes,
half of a small turnip, half of a carrot, one small beet. Cut the
potatoes in small slices, the beet a little finer, and the turnip and
carrot very fine. Mix all thoroughly. Sprinkle with a scant
teaspoonful of salt--unless the vegetables were salted in cooking, and
add the whole French dressing, or half a cupful of the boiled
dressing. Keep very cool until served.
Red Vegetable Salad.
One pint of cold boiled potatoes, one pint of cold boiled beets, one
pint of uncooked red cabbage, six table-spoonfuls of oil, eight of red
vinegar (that in which beets have been pickled), two teaspoonfuls of
salt (unless the vegetables have been cooked in salted water), half a
teaspoonful of pepper. Cut the potatoes in _thin_ slices and the
beets fine, and slice the cabbage as thin as possible. Mix all the
ingredients. Let stand in a cold place one hour; then serve. Red
cabbage and celery may be used together. Use the French dressing.
Potato Salad.
Ten potatoes, cut fine; the French dressing, with four or five drops
of onion juice in it, and one table-spoonful of chopped parsley.
Potato Salad, No. 2.
One quart of potatoes, two table-spoonfuls of grated onion, two of
chopped parsley, four of chopped beet and enough of any of the
dressings to make moist. The sardine is the best for this. Pare and
cut the potatoes in thin slices, while hot. Mix the other ingredients
with them, and put away in a cool place until serving time. This is
better for standing two or three hours.
Cooked Vegetables in Salad.
Nearly every kind of cooked vegetables can be served in salads. They
can be served separately or mixed. They must be cold and well drained
before the dressing is added. Any of the dressings given, except
sardine, can be used.
Dressed Celery.
Scrape and wash the celery. Let it stand in ice water twenty minutes,
and shake dry. With a sharp knife, cut it in pieces about an inch
long. Put in the ice chest until serving time; then moisten well with
mayonnaise dressing. Arrange in the salad bowl or on a flat dish.
Garnish with a border of white celery leaves or water-cresses. When
served on a flat dish, points of pickled beets, arranged around the
base, make an agreeable change.
Lettuce Salad.
Two small, or one large head of lettuce. Break off all the leaves
carefully, wash each separately, and throw into a pan of ice water,
where they should remain an hour. Put them in a wire basket or coarse
towel, and _shake_ out all the water. Either cut the leaves with
a sharp knife, or tear them in large pieces. Mix the French dressing
with them, and serve immediately. Beets, cucumbers, tomatoes,
cauliflower, asparagus, etc., can each be served as a salad, with
French or boiled dressing. Cold potatoes, beef, mutton or lamb, cut
fine, and finished with either dressing, make a good salad.