A DINNER COOKED IN THE MORNING
"WE'LL treat Uncle Eric so well that he'll have a good time in spite of
himself," Bob had said when he had proposed that his gruff old uncle be
invited. "I'll take Saturday afternoon off, and we'll go to the matinee,
then we'll come home to dinner, and then go again to the theatre in the
evening." For a great actor was to be in town, and this was the reason
for Uncle Eric's possible visit. "If he'll only come," Bob had added
doubtfully.
"He'll come," said Bettina confidently, for she felt that she had
discovered the soft spot in Uncle Eric's heart. "We'll have a good
dinner, too."
Bob remembered what she had said about the dinner and repeated it to
himself as they stepped from the street car after the matinee. "It's
late, Bettina," he said anxiously, "will it take you long to get
dinner?"
"A very few minutes," answered Bettina. "Just long enough to warm it
over."
To warm it over! But then, all of Bettina's dinners were good, so he
resolved not to worry. Nevertheless, he could not help leaving Uncle
Eric for a few minutes to come into the kitchen. "What can I do to
help?"
"Not a thing, Bob dear. You see, I had this whole dinner ready this
morning, and I have warmed it all up in the oven. I have discovered that
croquettes are exactly as good when fried in the morning, and so are
veal cutlets. And wait till you try the cauliflower!"
"I trust you, Bettina," said Bob, laughing. "It all looks mighty good to
me. Here, I'll help you put it on the table."
For dinner that night they had:
Veal Cutlets Potato Croquettes
Escalloped Cauliflower
Baked Apples
Bread Butter
Chocolate Ice Cream White Cake
BETTINA'S RECIPES
(All measurements are level)
=Veal Cutlets= (Three portions)
1 lb. 1/2-inch slices of veal cut from the leg
1 t-salt
1-1/2 pints of water
1 C-cracker crumbs
1/4 t-paprika
1/3 t-salt
1 egg-white or yolk
1 T-water
Hot fat for frying
Wipe the meat, place in one and one-half pints of boiling water, to
which has been added one level teaspoon of salt. Boil gently until
tender (about thirty minutes). Remove from the water and allow to cool
until easy to handle. Remove the bone and skin, and cut into pieces for
serving. Mix the paprika, salt (one-third of a teaspoon) and the cracker
crumbs. Roll each piece of meat in the crumbs, then in the egg, to which
the water has been added, and again in the crumbs. Pat the crumbs onto
the meat. Arrange the meat on a platter and allow to stand fifteen
minutes. Have sufficient fat in a pan to cover articles of food. When
the fat is smoking hot, add the veal cutlets, and turn to cook each
side. When a delicate brown (after about five minutes), remove and drain
on paper. Keep hot in the oven. Place the veal cutlets on a platter and
arrange baked apples around the edges. Serve the potato croquettes on
the same platter, garnished with parsley.
=Potato Croquettes= (Three portions)
1 C-hot mashed or riced potatoes
1/8 t-celery salt
1/2 t-chopped parsley
1/8 t-onion extract
1 egg-yolk
1 T-milk
1 t-salt
1 T-butter
1/8 t-paprika
3 T-flour
Mix the mashed potatoes, celery salt, parsley, onion extract, egg yolk,
milk, salt, butter and paprika. Beat two minutes. Shape into balls two
inches in diameter. Roll in flour and allow to stand fifteen minutes.
Cook in deep fat three minutes or more until a delicate brown. Drain on
brown paper and keep hot in a moderate oven.
=Escalloped Cauliflower= (Three portions)
1 small head of cauliflower
1 qt. water
1 t-salt
1-1/2 C-vegetable white sauce, seasoned
1/4 C-buttered crumbs
Soak the cauliflower in cold water to which a tablespoon of vinegar has
been added. Cut apart and cook in a quart of water to which salt has
been added. Make white sauce and add the cauliflower. Pour into a
well-buttered baking dish. Cover with buttered crumbs. Bake twenty
minutes in a moderate oven.