Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1890-01-18

| tAs~N.1 SuCulu
D EM-of salad ne plus ultra
- s sss day. BE . had ' 'ss a ;:;e:
Cupid. so far as his
services as a solicitor or mediatorial agent is
concerned. would have to stand aside and see
both his fortune and his fame trespassed upon.
1t goes without contradiction that there
are plenty of pretty women in this
section of the North American con-
tinent who need not bother themselves
about salads further than the eating and
enjoyment of them ana Washington is not
without Its full complement of such, but boas
| at 80 yard or fur capes at $50 apiece do not
appeal nearly SO directly or economically to
| the admiration of man as a something that
| Will please his fancy by tickling his palate. no
matter how envIouS they may make other
| women. Good. real good, salad propounders
among misses are rare, which would indicate
| that as soon as they become experts they are
sought for and gobbled up into matrimonial
| environment The young women folk of this
age are doubtless greater connoisseurs than
| were their grandmothers IN the days of their
| romplng glrlhood but 1t is doubtful if there
are half the number of good young
COOKS now proporuonatcly existed
then. Few there are now who cannot
make cakes and CONNECTIONS with the
consummate art OF a Chef, but when it comes
TO salad-wei!, they would rather try waltz
ana leave salad mixing to their mothers or-the
| men. Many there are who contend. however.
| mat as rule gentlemen excel in making salads
and salad dressing. for the reason that they are
| more deliberate than the more impetuous sex.
| 1ney are content to mix the seasoning for a
| sufficient time with the oil and vinegar and
then to toss and mix the salad after the dress
| ing Is poured upon it.
| IT'S ANTIQUITY AND POPULARITY.
The ancient Romans were great salad suffers.
as are their mountaineering descendants.
They dressed their andives with liquamen and
oil and favored them extensively with the
odorlterous onion. For their salads of lettuces
| they compounded sauce of dates. pepper
honey. ginger, green-rue. nitro and cummin.
| according to individual taste. and it is not
much OF surprise that they were subjected to
nocturnal visions of snizzards and snap
dragons. At first the salad closed the repast of
the Roman noble, but later green food was
eaten at the beginning of a meal and the lati-
tude of pranclng nightmares greatly curtailed.
Inc English of the seventeenth century also
regarded salads with great favor after a long
respite. for III some earlier times the lords and
| ladies' OF old England avoided the salad as in
dSestOle. The peasant, who lived chiefly on
saited food in winter, learned from experience
that green food was remedial of eruptive dis
eases, and after winter OF plain course foods
welcomed the coming of May with its medicine
| Tor the million. Onions, letks and chives ex-
PEELED Iii humors from the system, the medi-
elnal virtues OF lettuce were aided by tarragon
dandehon leaves guickened the sluggish liver
rosemary strengthened the memory. and leaves
OF musk rose were regarded as a cure for dys-
pepsla.
THE BOILED SALAD.
1t was in the seventeenth century that the
boiled salad was first concocted. The learned
doctors declared that boiled leaves were more d-
gestiDle than raw. A little old cook book by Jno
Murrell. lG3D GIVE tho fOllnyyiuo FOr
salad: "Parboll spinage and chop fine, set it
on chatting dish with coales and butter and
vinegar, season it with cinnamon. ginger, sugar
and few parboyled currans: then cut
hard eggs into quarters to garuish it withal
and serve upon slppits."
About the middle of that century a reg
ular salad war ragged and divided families one
against another. but near the close of the GEN.
fury, when conflicting practices resulted in con-
luslon Mr.. John Evelyn, man OF letters and
fastdious feeder. brought order out of chaotic
conditions by establishing regular set OF in
teihgent rules and wholesome precepts. He
declared that to COOK a salad was TO deprive it
OF Its distinguishing attributes, and that the
proper sauce to be used was an artIul mixture
OF mustard oil and vinegar. with or without
new-lald eggs. He furthermore denounced a
cook who would serve a salad III a silver or pew-
ter bowl as culinary Llnny and held that the
proper ''saladIer" was and would always be a
porcelain or earthenwar platter. Had .he
lived to see the pretty conceits in salad dishes
of the present generation he would have died
happier man.
THE SALAD OF TODAY.
As tempting and relishing as was the salad of
old it was different thing from any of the
thousand and one conceptions of today. A
| Frenchman, well versed in table lore as the
most of them are, Will tell you that a salad is
the prince OF the menu, while To an Italian il is
the divinity OF an epicureans dream The
| gourmand OF either race Is Il king when salads
| are subjects. Americans have proved apt
pupils and their ways are as varied as the
| salads themselves, ranging all the way from an
| INSPIRED cuncoctlon OF DeimonIco to the frugal
| church lunch concomltant, in which corn
starch conceals Itself behind pungent mustard.
| and OIL. Is notable for Its absence. Or all the
various ways Of service there Is not one pref
| tier or pleasanter or more tempting than the
| custom which the modern house wife has of
making the salad for dinner before ones very
| eyes at the table or allowing one to help ones
self to the fresh, crisp lettuce garnlshed with
| bright red tomatoes, and mix the two with the
| coid deiIcious mayonnalse TO suit the taste.
MAYoNSAIsE DRESSING.
1t is said that the French chef ALWAYS adds
the salt last in making mayonnaise because of
some mysterious effect in the way of improve
ment. 1t is doubtful if there is any appreci
able difference. The one standard mayonnaise
| dressing with the regulation process of putting
| in the oil drop by drop scarcely needs descrip.
| uon. But why waste so much time and tenn
| per, the latter of which as Mark Twain once
said. can be employed to better advantage in
some other direction when. the oil can be put
in tablespoonful at time by using an egg
whipper? Not only Is this quicker than the
old way, but the consistency of the salad is
much better. The yelk of the egg should be
beaten little before the oil is put In aud it is
an improvement to beat up teaspoonful of
cream with it.
The essential elements of success is to have
everything cold-the bowl, the oil and the un-
cooked yelks OF two eggs-for a simple mayon-
| naise. For the rest add halt teaspoonful of
each of salt and mustard and dash of CAYENNE.
Beat these together slightly, then add half a