[Illustration: FIG. 8]
65. The soup course of a meal is a more or less unattractive one, but it
may be improved considerably if some tempting thing in the way of a
garnish or an accompaniment is served with it. But whatever is selected
to accompany soup should be, in a great measure, a contrast to it in
both consistency and color. The reason why a difference in consistency
is necessary is due to the nature of soup, which, being liquid in form,
is merely swallowed and does not stimulate the flow of the gastric
juices by mastication. Therefore, the accompaniment should be something
that requires chewing and that will consequently cause the digestive
juices, which respond to the mechanical action of chewing, to flow. The
garnish may add the color that is needed to make soup attractive. The
green and red of olives and radishes or of celery and radishes make a
decided contrast, so that when any of these things are served with soup,
an appetizing first course is the result. It is not necessary to serve
more than one of them, but if celery and radishes or celery, radishes,
and olives can be combined in the same relish dish, they become more
attractive than when each is served by itself.
[Illustration: FIG. 9]
66. RADISHES AND CELERY.--Before radishes and celery are used on the
table, whether with soup or some other part of a meal, they should be
put into cold water and allowed to stand for some time, so that they
will be perfectly crisp when they are served. In the case of radishes,
the tops and roots should first be cut from them, and the radishes then
scrubbed thoroughly. They may be served without any further treatment,
or they may be prepared to resemble flowers, as is shown in Fig. 8. This
may be done by peeling the red skin back to show the white inside, and
then cutting the sections to look like the petals of a flower. Little
difficulty will be experienced in preparing radishes in this artistic
way if a sharp knife is used, for, with a little practice, the work can
be done quickly and skilfully.
67. Celery that is to be served with soup may be prepared in two ways,
as Fig. 9 illustrates. The stems may be pulled from the stalk and served
separately, as in the group on the right, or the stalk may be cut down
through the center with a knife into four or more pieces, as shown at
the left of the illustration. The first of these methods is not so good
as the second, for by it one person gets all of the tender heart and the
coarse outside stems are left for all the others. By the second method,
every piece consists of some of the heart and some of the outside stems
attached to the root and makes a similar serving for each person.
Whichever way is adopted, however, the celery should be scrubbed and
cleansed thoroughly. This is often a difficult task, because the dirt
sticks tightly between the stems. Still, an effort should be made to
have the celery entirely free from dirt before it goes to the table. A
few tender yellow leaves may be left on the pieces to improve the
appearance of the celery.
68. CRACKERS.--Various kinds of wafers and crackers can be purchased to
serve with soup, and the selection, as well as the serving of them, is
entirely a matter of individual taste. One point, however, that must not
be overlooked is that crackers of any kind must be crisp in order to be
appetizing. Dry foods of this sort absorb moisture from the air when
they are exposed to it and consequently become tough. As heat drives off
this moisture and restores the original crispness, crackers should
always be heated before they are served. Their flavor can be improved by
toasting them until they are light brown in color.
69. CROUTONS.--As has already been learned, croutons are small pieces of
bread that have been fried or toasted to serve with soup. These are
usually made in the form of cubes, or dice, as is shown in the front
group in Fig. 10; but they may be cut into triangles, circles, ovals,
hearts, or, in fact, any fancy shape, by means of small cutters that can
be purchased for such purposes. The bread used for croutons should not
be fresh bread, as such bread does not toast nor fry very well;
left-over toast, stale bread, or slices of bread that have been cut from
the loaf and not eaten are usually found more satisfactory. If the
croutons are not made from slices already cut, the bread should be cut
into slices 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick, and, after the crusts have been
closely trimmed, the slices should be cut into cubes. When the cubes
have been obtained, they may be put into a shallow pan and toasted on
all sides quickly, placed in a frying basket and browned in deep fat, or
put into a frying pan and sautéd in butter. If toast is used, it should
merely be cut in the desired shape.
Various methods of serving croutons are in practice. Some housewives
prefer to place them in the soup tureen and pour the soup over them,
while others like to put a few in each individual serving of soup. A
better plan, however, and one that is much followed, is to serve a
number of croutons on a small plate or dish at each person's place, as
shown in Figs. 3 and 4, for then every one may eat them in the way
preferred.
[Illustration: FIG. 10]
70. BREAD STICKS.--A soup accompaniment similar in nature to croutons,
and known as _bread sticks_, is made of pieces of bread 1/2 inch wide,
1/2 inch thick, and several inches long. These are toasted on each side
and are served in place of crackers. A number of them are shown in the
back row in Fig. 10. Variety in bread sticks may be secured by spreading
butter over them before the toasting is begun or by sprinkling grated
cheese over them a few minutes before they are removed from the oven.
Bread sticks are usually served on a bread-and-butter plate to the left
of each person's place at the table.
71. PASTRY STRIPS.--A very appetizing addition to soup may be made by
cutting pastry into narrow strips and then baking these strips in the
oven until they are brown or frying them in deep fat and draining them.
Strips prepared in this way may be served in place of crackers,
croutons, or bread sticks, and are considered delicious by those who are
fond of pastry. Details regarding pastry are given in another Section.
72. SOUP FRITTERS.--If an entirely different kind of soup accompaniment
from those already mentioned is desired, soup fritters will no doubt
find favor. These are made by combining certain ingredients to form a
batter and then dropping small amounts of this into hot fat and frying
them until they are crisp and brown. The accompanying recipe, provided
it is followed carefully, will produce good results.