Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-12-21
CHRISTMAS DINNERS
May Doubtless be More Fancy Than
This, but Not Any Better.
ELLICE sERENA'S SPECIAL MENU.
Dainty Dishes to Tickle the Stomach and
GLADDEN. the Heart.
AN ALL-AMERICAN PLUM PUDDING

Cranberry sauce, scalloped oysters.
| Stripped potatoes: Creamed turnips.
Stewed celery. Baked sweet potatoes.
| Orange salad.
Hard crackers. Cheese. Olives.
| Plum pudding. brandy sauce.
| Mince pie.
Salted almonds. Fruit.
| Meringued coffee.
OYSTERS ON HALF SHELL.
| Wash the oysters on the outside until clean
| and bright Remove the upper shells, detach
| the oysters and serve on the deep shells-con-
| trary to the English fashion.
Garnish with celery tops or sprigs OF green.
Serve on separate dish quarter of lemon
and a thin sandwich of brown and white bread,
cut in fancy shapes.
MOCK BIsoUE SOUP.
Stew pint of tomatoes for 80 minutes.
Strain and add to quart of milk about to
boil.
Stir in tablespoonful of dissolved corn
starch and two tablespoonfuls of butter.
Season highly and serve on warm soup plates
"a ladleful for each plate.
ROYAL FISH SAUCE.
Cream together two tablespoonfuls Of butter
and heaping tablespoonful of -four.
Add gradually pint of boiling milk and stir
over the fire until it thickens.
Remove stir in the beaten yolk Of an egg and
tablespoonful of minced parsley.
Season with salt. pepper and cayenne.
BoULETTEs.
To heaping pint of mashed potatoes, add
tablespoonful of butter, two OF cream, the
beaten yolks of two eggs, a little grated onion,
teaspoonful each Of parsley and sweet mar
ioram, dash of cayenne, salt and pepper to
taste.
Heat the mixture thoroughly set aside to
cool and then form into bullets
Glaze with eggs, roll In cracker meal, arrange
In frying basket and immerse for a few min
utes in boiling fat.
Serve as garnish for the boiled fish.
ROAST TURKEY, BREAD-CRUMB DRESSING.
Select fine young hen turkey. Draw pre-
pare for roasting and hll with dressing made
as follows:
To quart of stale bread crumbs. take two
tablespUonfuls of butter. level tablespoonful
of salt fourth teaspoonful of coarsely ground
pepper a small onion. minced, teaspoonful
each of sweet marjoram and summer savory.
Sew up the opening, truss season, lard with
thin strips of sweet bacon, and cover with
creased white paper, tied securely.
@ Put to roast in baking pan on meat rack,
pour in cupful of hot water. and cook ac-
cordIng to size, from "a to hours, basting fire.
| quently. Garnsh with small pork sausages
fried brown, and serve with rich brown gravy.
CRANBERRY SAUCE.
To one quart of cranberries, picked and
washed, add pint of boiling water.
Cover closely and simmer until the berries
| burst or pop.
Add two cupfuls of sugar and cook gently
| uncovered and unstirred-for 10 minutes.
Mold and set to cool.
| sCALLoPED OYSTERS.
Butter deep baking dish cover the bottom
with fine cracker crumbs and moisten with
oyster liquor.
Over this put a layer Of fine large oysters;
season with salt, pepper and bits Of butter.
| Continue the layers, the seasoning and
moistenlng until the dish is full.
! Strew the top thickly with the crumbs and
| pour over the whole cupful of milk, with the
beaten yolk of an egg added.
| Cover SLOWLY
| utes.
Uncover and remove from the oven when
| well Drowned.
| STRIPPED POTATOES.
Wash and pare smooth, well-shaped potatoes,
| cut into strips-not too Ihin-wash we'll and
| steam for about 20 minutes or until tender.
| Put some butter into a stew pan and when
| 1t is melted throw in some very small parsley
sprigs; season with salt and pepper and pour
| over the potatoes.
CREAMED TURNIPs
ecrape the turnips, throw into cold salted
| water and let stand for 81 minutes.
| Scoop them with small vegetable cutter,
being careful to have the balls well rounded.
Cover with boiling water and cook until
tender, adding salt when they are about half
| done.
Drain, turn into dish and pour over them
| cream dressing, which should be we'll seasoned
with salt, pepper and large lump of fresh
butter.
BAKED SWEET POTATOES.
Take half dozen good-sized sweet potatoes,
prepared for baking. Split lengthwise and
| paTboil for 20 minutes.
| Arrange in a baking dish or pan, season
lightly with salt and pepper, dredge with flour,
tuft with butter, and sprinkle with sugar.
Bake until brown and tender.
ORANGE SALAD.
Peel six or eight tart oranges and strip of
| the white inner skin.
Cut into thin slices with keen-edged fruit
knife, removing the seeds and thick skin of the
| cores.
strew over them half cupful of sifted sugar
| and the juice Of half a lemon and gill of
sherry. Prepare about two hours before serv-
| ing and keep in q cool place.
CHEESE.
After the salad course serve two kinds of
cheese-mild and pungent-with hard crackers,
PLUM PUDDING.
The Christmas, or plum pudding, is one
of the features OF that holiday dinner in
England, which is so general, from all ac-
counts, that every family is presumed to
have it it nothing else. The name is familiar
to US from its association with the nursery
rhymes of our childhood.
Who that has read Dickens will not
remember the dinner at Bob Crocbet's and
the incidents connected with lit? We are
reminded OF It's Importance on all sides.
Washington Irving says that the names
of the very streets and alleys of Eastcheap
bear testimony to the good cheer OF that To-
cality, OF which Falstaff was betimes q
nota BILE resident. one of Che streets still be-
ing called Pudding lane.
A curious bit of pudding lore is preserved
in the account of celebration of an ami
versary as far back as 1861 at Newcastle
on-Tyne, at which there was gathering of
the provincial nobility and gentry. In an
ticipation of the great number of guests
who were expected, each of the citizens and
patrons was requested to bring his own dish
of meat. This very naturally led to a COM
petition. and many strove for prominence:
but the specimen OF Sir George Goring was
accounted the most unique. This MASTER
piece CONSISTED Of four huge, brawny pigs.
piping hot, fitted and harnessed with rones
Of sausage, all tied to monstrous bag pud-
ding"
AN ENGLISH PUDDING FEAST,
1t was an old custom in England, and in
some parts it is still retained, of having at
stated periods pudding feast. Alta village
in Lancashire there is such a feast held
every 81 years, called the Aughton PUDDING
Feast, and the latest one occurred recentlv'
On that occasion there was plum puddin.
of 1000 pounds weight After being car.
ried around the village in procession, it was
distributed among the villagers and those
who were attracted thither through curi-
osity.
But while we speak of plum pudding We
may assert our patriotism by declaring that
more of the ingredients which enter into III .
composition Of veritable plum pudding