Salads, Sandwiches and Chafing-Dish Dainties | Page 7

addition of oil, or use "jelly mayonnaise." Put the dressing into a pastry bag with star tube attached; twist the large end of the bag with the left hand, pressing the mixture towards the tube, and with the right guide the tube as in writing, to produce the pattern desired. To form stars, hold the bag in an upright position, point downward, press out a little of the dressing, then push the tube down gently, and raise it quickly to break the flow.
[Illustration: "The tender lettuce brings on softer sleep."--W. KING, Art of Cookery.]

SALAD DRESSINGS.

SALAD DRESSINGS.
"Just, as in nature, thy proportions be, As full of concord their variety."
=French Dressing.=
INGREDIENTS.
1/2 a teaspoonful of salt. A few grains of cayenne or paprica. 1/4 a teaspoonful of pepper. 2 to 6 tablespoonfuls of vinegar or lemon juice. 6 tablespoonfuls of oil.
If desired,--
1/2 a teaspoonful of prepared mustard. 1/2 a teaspoonful of onion juice, or rub the salad-bowl with slice of onion, or clove of garlic.
Method.--Mix the condiments, add the oil and mix again; then add the acid, a few drops at a time, and beat until an emulsion is formed; then pour over the vegetables, toss with the spoon and fork, and serve. In Chicago a method has obtained that is well worth a trial: Put a bit of ice into the bowl with the condiments, and, by means of a fork pressed against or into this, use in mixing.
Second Method.--Pour the oil over the vegetables, toss, until the oil is evenly distributed, and dust with salt and pepper; then add the acid and toss again. When the salad is prepared at the table, the vegetables may be dressed in a bowl, then arranged on the serving-dish; or, if but one vegetable is used, it is preferable to serve from the dish in which it is dressed.
=To Mix a Quantity of Dressing.=
Put all the ingredients into a fruit jar, fit on one or more rubbers and the cover; then shake the jar vigorously, until a smooth dressing is formed.
=Claret Dressing.=
(For lettuce or fruit salad.)
Mix half a teaspoonful of salt, a dash of pepper, white or paprica, and four tablespoonfuls of oil; add gradually one tablespoonful of claret and one tablespoonful of lemon juice or vinegar.
=Mayonnaise Dressing.=
INGREDIENTS.
The yolks of 2 raw eggs. 1 pint of olive oil. 2 tablespoonfuls of vinegar. 2 tablespoonfuls of lemon juice. 1/2 a teaspoonful of salt. A few grains of cayenne or paprica.
If desired,--
1 teaspoonful, each, of mustard and powdered sugar.
Method.--An amateur will probably find it helpful to have all the utensils and ingredients thoroughly chilled, but the professional salad-maker thinks it expedient to have the ingredients and utensils of the same temperature as the room in which the dressing is to be served. Beat the yolks with a small wooden spoon or silver fork, add the condiments and mix again; then add one teaspoonful of vinegar, and, when well mixed with the other ingredients, add the oil, at first drop by drop. When the mixture has become of good consistency the oil may be added faster. When it is too thick to beat well, add a little of the lemon juice, then more oil, and so on alternately, until the ingredients are used. If a very heavy dressing is desired, as when it is to be put on with forcing-bag and tubes for a garnish, an additional half a cup of oil may be added without increasing the quantity of acid.
In preparing mayonnaise, there is absolutely no danger of curdling, if the eggs be fresh and the oil be added slowly, especially if the materials and utensils have been thoroughly chilled. If the yolks do not thicken when beaten with the condiments, but spread out over the bowl, you have sufficient indication that they will not thicken upon the addition of the oil, and it were better to select others and begin again. Take care to add the teaspoonful of acid to the yolks and condiments before beginning to drop in the oil, as this lessens the liability of the mixture to curdle.
=How to Make Mayonnaise in Quantity.=
If four quarts or more of dressing be required, make the full amount at one time; cut down the number of yolks to one for each pint of oil, but keep the usual proportions of the other ingredients. Use a Dover egg-beater from the start; after a little a teaspoonful of oil can be added instead of drops, and, very soon, a much larger quantity.
=Curdled Mayonnaise.=
Occasionally a mayonnaise will assume a curdled appearance; under such circumstances, often the addition of a very little of white of egg or a few drops of lemon juice, with thorough beating, will cause the sauce to resume its former smoothness. In case it does not become smooth, put the yolk of an egg into a