Evening capital. (Annapolis, Md.) 1884-1910, 1885-02-07
GAsTRoNOMrC DEVICES.
Culinary Inventions Designed 90 mdd
Fest 90 aho Appetite.

things all the time. remarked q we'll
known caterer, rcnectively. Wealthy,
fashionable people-suc as give, OF
course, the hNnusomest entertainments
want novelties in our line, just as they
do in others: and we have to give TO
them. or they viii think we are behind
the times. Take, for example, the Gus
tom of placing raw oysters on the table
in partially scooped out block of clear
ice. 1t is most excellent custom. It
looks well and keeps the oysters at the
right temperature, but l should hardly
dare to serve oysters in that way &C a
really swell dinner-thc device is too
old. .
rs the custom of serving birds in
plumage still sanctioned by our first
familiespn
Eyes; work of that kind. skillfullt
executed, viii, | believe. always be con-
sidered CONNIE il faut.
1.-The head and plumaged skin of the
bird, of whatever kind it Is, are first
carefully removed. an operation requir-
ing some little skill. The bird is then
boned-with dressing, you know-and
the boned meat returned to the skin. At
least, that is the way it is usually done.
A pheasant served in this way makes
particularly attractive dish. Taft, you
know, sometimes serves roasted hum
ming birds in walnut shells, and it is
quite possible TO serve small-sized reed
birds in the same way"
Rather an expensive dish, Iimagineg"
Very. But some people, you know,
will pay heavily for having. their palates
or their fancies tickIcd. A compare
lively new and very pretty custom is
that of placing large mirror in the cen
ter of the dinner or supper table, as the
case may be, and surrounding it with
smilax. 1t has the effect of a miniature
lake, and this effect is heightened by
scattering few bright-colored flowers
pansies or something of that kind-over
its surface
Dinner tables are sometimes decora-
ted with vegetables. are they notf"
"Yes, that has. of late years, become
an important feature of dinner-table
decoration. Beets, carrots, turnips, etc.,
can be cut so as 10 resemble flowers Of
many kinds. One of our cutters re-
Gently made what casual observer would
have taken for handsome basket of
flowers, and it was made basket and all,
out of vegetables"
Yes, said another leading caterer.
1--WE have number Of new devices. We
make Eyeglasses now-of the shape of
small wine glasses fill them with
Roman punch. As, perhaps, you can
imagine. the effect is excellent. Another
novelty is house made of ice-cream,
with light inside of it, giving it the
appearance of a miniature house on FIRE.
A ruined castle OF ice-cream, with light
inside of it. is also very effective; and
tower of clear ice, lighted in the same
way, looks like miniature lighthouse.
We make icc-cream in the shape of all
kinds OF flowers. and put them together
IN the form OF boquets Then we have
what appear to be perfect walnuts. fill
berts. ETC.. which are filled with sugar
plums. In making these we use real
shells. We make imitation cherries,
grapes and plums, and fill them in the
same. They decorate table very nice
ly."
'Doyou think of anything else novel?"
fOhl yes. / heard of party recent
~ where a caterer served what appeared
to be perfect eggs, and when they were
opened they were found to contain live
canary birds One Of the party, young
lady, broke into one of the eggs rather
carelessly-no knowing what it con-
tained-and b. so doing killed its poor
little inmate. I'm told that her sorrow
at the accident rather interfered with the
enjoyment of the dinner. / hear that a
New York man recently designed hat
must have been very pretty table deco
ro If
est. made of spruce, pine, and hemlock
branches, beneath which were scattered
moss, cones. pine needles, etc. Perched
among the branches were a number OF
birds and little squirrels. know, too.
of a caterer, who sometimes uses must
cal cake basket. The minute it is raised
from the table-for the purpose of pass
ing around the cake--it commences to
play, and when IL is again placed on the
table the music ceases
What do you consider the most novel
device that you know OFF,
well, perhaps the most novel is one
that heard Of, but never saw. 1t was
a large block Of clear, greenish Jelly, in
the center of which was q duck. in full
plumage, headed for some sprips Of
celery The upper surface Of the block
was made IA little rippIes, and looked
just as water would after a duck had
dived through it. Around the block
grasses were arranged. and I'm told that
the piece, taken as whole, was very
effective. I've seen another very pretty
piece by the way. It was made Of ice
cream. and represented a man il sleigh
drawn bya reindeer. Underneath the
sleigh was music box. which played