Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1890-09-01
SUMMER DINNERS.
An Inviting Series Of Menus for Hot
Weather.

From the Philadelphia Inquirer.
The dinner in summer should be much
lighter. more dainty meal than in winter, says
writer in the New York Tribune Let the
cloth be pure white damask, Will little color
displayed in the decorations, except in that
furnished by the flowers. Little neck clans
are. of course. particularly nice to introduce
the soup, which should be clear consomme or
delicate cream soup.
The heavy English soups, like calfs head and
o1tail, belong to the winter table. Alulliga-
tawny is an Indian soup, which belongs to sum
mer, and is properly served with a chicken or
game dinner. Most varieties of fish are only
in season in summer. The greater part of the
fish sold in winter is refrigerated and cannot
be compared in flavor with perfectly fresh fish,
for no refrigerated food loses so much by being
frozen as fish. Heavy, hot roasts of beef or
mutton may often be discarded on a warm
summers day for broiled lamb chops served
with maitre dhotel butter; or for fried chicken
or broiled outlets; or for a delicarely crisp
roast of spring lamb with mint sauce
Cnrries belong to summer. and they offer an
agreeable change to the appetite which has
become jaded by monotonous winter diet A
bottle Of curry powder should be purchased at
the beginning Of each summer season to in
sure its being fresh; as it costs but 25 cents n
bottle. it is no great extravaganza to throw out
what has been left over from the previous
year and is probably stale Chicken and veal
are the most suitable meats for a curry, but
lamb and some varieties Of fish are also de-
licious prepared in this way. Fricassees of
lamb. chicken and veal are always welcome
summer meats.
As a rule the diet should be more vegetarian
in summer than in cold weather, when the
green herbs, roots and fruits OF the earth are
in perfection. Wise gardeners arrange the
sowing OF their crops SO that there is q contin-
uous supply OF fresh tender green peas and
corn and other choice vegetables from the first
picking until frost appears. 1t is a little more
difficult to insure tender salad greens. Moth
ing grown for this purpose in the heat of mid
summer Is ever so crisp and delicious as the
lettuce and other plants that spring out OF the
cool earth in the early spring. They are. ma
ture s own purifiers Of tine blood which has be-
come clogged with the heavy meat diet of win
ter.
Lettuce that grows in the head is not AZ
much cultivated throughout the country as it
should be, though it always can be had in Bos-
ton. New York and other large markets. The
heart leaves of this lettuce make the most de-
licions salad greens. The dark green leaves
that grow on the outside of the head, like
green leaves Of cabbage, should be thrown
away with the stalk, they are not fit for
salad. Only the bleached head which is crispy
and cream like. is used.
There IL no excuse for heavy desserts in sum-
mer. Light batter puddings are almost the only
pudding suitable for warm weather. The va
riety OF cold custards, iced desserts and creams
Is SO large that there is no excuse for greasy,
rich pies and puddings. Good housekeeperv
is to be served in perfection ice cold but never
iced