The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1885-03-06
FOR THE TABLE.
Various Devices TO Give Pleasure to Di


I'VE have to be thinking up new
things all the time" remarked well
known caterer, re6ectiyely, to Boston
Globe reporter. "Wealthy, fashionable
people, such as give OF course the
handsomest entertainments, want novel;
ties In our line, just as they do in
others, and we have to give them to
them or they will think we are behind
the times. Take, for example, the GUS
tom OF placing raw oysters on the table
In q partially scooped out block of clear
Ice. 1t Is o most excellent custom; It
looks well and keeps the oysters at the
right temperature, but / should hardly
dare to serve. oysters In that way at q
really swell dinner-the device Is too
old"
'Is the custom of serving birds in
plumage still sanctioned by our first
familiesp"
Eyes; work OF that kind skillfully ex-
ecutcd will, believe, always be consid-
cred CONNIE IL faut.
1.-THE head, plumage, and skin Of the
bird, Of whatever kind 1t is, are first
tcuONou- uu OpcEuIiOu To-
curing some little skill. The bird is
then boned-with dressing, you know
and the boned meat returned to the
skin. At lea>t, that Is the way 1t is US
ually done. A pheasant served in this
way makes particularly attractive
dish. Taft, you know, sometimes
serves roasted humming birds in wal.
| nut shells, and it Is quite possible to
serve small sized reed birds in the same
way"
Rather an expensive dish. l i'm.
aginep"
Eyes; but some people, you know,
will pay heavily for having their palates
or their fancies tickled. A compare
lively new and very pretty custom is
that Of placing large mirror in the
center of the dinner or supper table, as
the case may be, and surrounding il
| with smilax. 1t has the effect Of q
miniature lake, and this effect is hight
ened by scattering few bright-colored
fowers-pansies or something of that
kind-over its surface"
DINNER tables are sometimes decor.
ated with vegetables, are they notp"
Eyes, that has of late years become
an important feature of dinner table
decoration. Beets, carrots, turnips,
etc, can DO cut so as to resemble flowers
OF many kinds. One of our cutters
recently made what a casual observer
would have taken for handsome bas-
ket of flowers, and IL was made, basket
and all, out Of vegetables"
EYES," said another leading caterer,
1--WE have a number of new devices.
We make Ice glasses now-of the shape
of small wine glasses--and 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
1t the appearance of q miniature house
on fire. A ruined castle of ice-cream
with q light inside OF 1t, is also very
effective;and tower of clear Ice, lighted
in the same way, looks like miniature
lighthouse. We make ice-cream in the
shape of all kinds of flowers, and put
them together in the form of bouquets
Then we have what appear to be per
feet walnuts, filberts, almonds, etc.
which are filled with sugar plums. II
making these we use real shells. We
make Imitation cherries, grapes, anC
plums, and fill them in the same way
They decorate table very nicely"
"Do you think of anything elst
novelp"
"Ol yes. heard of a party recent
ly whore caterer served what appear
ed to be perfect eggs, and when they
were opened they were found to con
tain live canary birds. One of thu
party, young lady. broke into one o
the eggs rather carelessly-not knowing
what II contained-and by so doing
killed its poor little inmate. I'm tolC
that her sorrow at the accident rather
interfered with the enjoyment of tn,
dinner. ! hear that u New York mar
recently designed what must have beer
very pretty table decoration. 1t con
sisted OF q miniature forest, made o
spruce, pine, and hemlock branches, be,
meath which were scattered moss, cones,
pine needles, etc. Perched among the
branches were q number of birds and
little squirrels. ! know too of caterer
who sometimes uses a musical cake
basket. The minute it is raised from
the table for the purpose of passing
around the cake-it commences to
play, and when it is again placed on
the table the music stops"
What do you consider the most
novel device that you knowP"
"Well, perhaps the most novel is one
that I heard of, burt never saw. 1t was
large block of clear, greenish Jelly, in
the centre of which was duck In full
plumage headed for some sprigs Of
celery. The upper surface of the block
was made in little ripples and looked
just as water would after duck ad
dived through 1t. Around the block
grasses were arranged, and I'm told
that the piece, taken as a whole, was
very effective. I've seen another very
pretty piece, by the way. 1t was made
OF ice-cream, and represented man in
sleigh drawn by reindeer. Under
meath the sleigh was music-box, which
played about fifteen minutes after the
piece was placed on the table, and rum
ming through the music was the pecu-
liar grating sound made by sleighs."