A LUNCHEON FOR THREE
"OH, Bettina, what a perfectly charming table!" exclaimed Alice, while
her guest from New York, in whose honor Bettina was giving the little
luncheon, declared that she had never seen a prettier sight.
"But it's your very own Christmas gift to me that makes it so," declared
Bettina, with flushed cheeks. For Alice's deft fingers had fashioned the
rose nut cups (now holding candied orange peel), and the rose buds in
the sunset shades in the center of the table. "They are almost more real
than real ones! I can scarcely believe that they are made of crêpe
paper."
The square luncheon cloth on the round table was of linen, decorated
with a cross-stitch design in the same sunset shades, so that the table
was all in pink and white. A French basket enameled in ivory color held
the rose buds, and another Christmas gift to Bettina was the flat ivory
basket filled with light rolls. The luncheon napkins matched the
luncheon cloth, as the guests noted, and "The menu matches everything
else!" exclaimed Alice.
"I'm glad you like it," said Bettina. "I have eaten chicken a la king
often at hotels and restaurants, but until recently it never occurred to
me to make it myself. And it isn't difficult to make either."
"You must give me the recipe," said Alice. For luncheon Bettina served:
Chicken a la King Toast
Light Rolls Butter
Bettina Salad Salad Dressing
Cheese Wafers
Strawberry Sherbet Hickory Nut Cake
Coffee
Candied Orange Peel
BETTINA'S RECIPES
(All measurements are level)
=Chicken a la King= (Three portions)
2/3 C-cold, cooked chicken, diced
3 T-butter
1 T-green pepper, cut fine
1 T-pimento, cut fine
1/8 t-celery salt
2 T-flour
1-1/2 C-milk
1/4 t-salt
1 egg-yolk, beaten
3 slices of toast
Melt the butter, add the green pepper, cook slowly for two minutes, and
then add the flour. Mix well and add the milk slowly. Cook until creamy.
Add the celery salt and the salt. When very hot, add the beaten
egg-yolk. Mix well, and add the chicken and pimento. Reheat. Serve very
hot on hot toast. (Do not cook the sauce any longer than absolutely
necessary after the egg-yolk is added.)
=Bettina Salad= (Three portions)
3 slices of pineapple
3 halves of pears
6 marshmallows
3 maraschino cherries
6 halves of nut meats
3 T-salad dressing
3 T-whipped cream
3 pieces of lettuce
Wash the lettuce and arrange on salad plates. Lay a slice of pineapple
on the lettuce and half a pear, the hollow side up, on the pineapple.
Fill the cavity of the pear with salad dressing, and place one
tablespoon of whipped cream on top of the salad dressing. Arrange two
nut-halves, two marshmallows and one cherry attractively on each
portion. Serve very cold.
=Hickory Nut Cake=
1/3 C-butter
1-1/2 C-sugar
2 eggs
1/2 C-chopped hickory nut meats
4 t-baking powder
2 C-flour
3/4 C-milk
1/2 t-vanilla
1/2 t-lemon extract
Cream the butter, add the sugar and mix well. Add the egg-yolks, the nut
meats, and the flour and baking powder sifted together. Then add the
milk, vanilla and lemon extract. Beat vigorously for two minutes. Add
the whites stiffly beaten. Mix thoroughly and pour into two layer-cake
pans prepared with buttered paper. Bake twenty-five minutes in a
moderate oven. Ice with confectioner's icing.
=Bettina's Confectioner's Icing=
2 T-cream
1/2 t-vanilla extract
1/2 t-lemon extract
1 C-powdered sugar
Mix the cream and extracts. Gradually add the powdered sugar sifted
through a strainer. Add enough sugar to form a creamy icing which will
easily spread upon the cake. (More than a cup of sugar may be needed.)