The herald., 1894-12-22
FOR THE CHRISTMAS DINNER
Timely Suggestions From Del
mOnicO's Chef.
Appropriate aud Harmonious Deco
ratiOns for the Table.
How A m erioa's Greatest Bird Should b o
Prepared for the Occasion-an
Excellent Monu.

New York World: Christmas dinner
to ths grown people is what the invssti.
cation OF the stockings is to the little
people-the event OF Christmas day.
Even the little people are more or less
interested in that function. and manage
to tuck under their waistc oats (consid-
ering the amount OF candy previously
consumed) surprisingly largo portions OF
roast turkey and cranberry sauce.
Mr.. Charles Ranho ofer. the chef OF Dell
monico's, suggests the following menu
for q family Christmas dinner:
Oyter'.
Chicken Rumbo.
Patties of m mushrOomg.
Broiled shad.
Cucumbers.
Saddle OF mutton, English style.
Potato croquettes.
Turkey with chestnuts and trufiles.
Roast sweet potstoaa
Ruddy duck. Escaroo salad.
Brie cheese.
Plum pudding, hard sauce
Ice cream.
Nuts and rsisins.
Coffee.
The greatest opportunities for serving
an effective dinner are in the dessert.
Besides, it ia over the ices and between
the cracking OF nuts and the nibbling OF
raisins that the wittest things are said.
Chauncey Depew says 1t is not until the
ices are served that people at dinner
really begin to feel genial towards
their neighbors. Therefore it behooves
the hostess entertaining on Christmas
day to pay espec al attention to the
dessert.
Something quite new in the way of
ices which will soon adorn Mrs. William
Astor's table on Christmas day ia called
"Un sabot de Noel" 1t represents a
chocolate shoe of goodly proportions
resting on base OF fowers and palms
made of sugar. Inside the shoe are the
ices.
A word about the floral dec orations.
All the table decorations this year are
low. High epergnes piled up with
flowers that keep one bobbing from side
to side to see ones vis-a-vis ars bad
form. The very newest conceit is to
place tho ferns on the table. the flowers
being carelessly mixed in the green.
When extending the full length aud
width OF the table the effect of the
green against the satin dsmask is very
pretty.
Delicacies that viii! help to make your
Christmas dinner . work OF art may be
prepared from the following recipes:
Plum puddlng-Placs in q vessel one
pound of beef kidney suet, very dry,
free of fl ,ers and chopped very fine /;
one pound of seeded Malaga raisips !;
one pound OF curranis, cleaned and
washed in plenty OF water; one pound
of bread crumbs sifted through sieve;
quarter OF a pound OF candied lemon
peel, chopped very fine; one pound Of
powdered sugar; four tablespoofuls of
-four; O quarter OF an ounce Of nutmeg
and allsplce; a pint of brandy aud six
egge.
Mix the whole we'll together. Dip a
strong cloth in Oold water and wiring it
out to extract the moisture. Spread it
open on table and butter it literally
with butter soitened to the consistency
of cream. Dredge over with sifted -four
and shake the cloth and remove any ex
cess OF the -four that has failed to ad-
here to the butter. Lay in the center
OF this cloth the prepared mixtur9.
Form it into the shape OF bali and
raise up the edges OF the cloth, bring
ing the four ends together all around. 80
as to inclose the preparation we'll, then
tighten and tie firmly.
Have on fire high saucepan
three.ouarters full OF water. When this
boils plunge in the plum pudding and
let it cook for three houra. Then re-
move i; and have it stand for five
minutes before cutting the string.
Undo tho cloth carefully and invert
the pudding ona hot dish. Besprinkle
it with sugar. Polr over some brandy
or rum and set it on fire. Serve imme.
diately with hard sauce.
Turkey stuffed with chestnuts and
trufil ss-draw, SINCE, pare, truss and re-
move the breast bone, the same as for
roasting. Chop up separately 1O ounces
OF kernel OF veal and Is ounces OF pic q
leaf lard, and then mix together. Sea-
con with salt and spice, adding a little
ahallot and the liver. both well chopped.
To this add also the peelings OF dozen
medium sized trufflss. Put this
into mortar with gill OF
stock. pound we'll and place in as
sauto.r to cook for Is minutes. Let it
cook, and stir in 40 cooked chestnuts
and the dozen peeled trufflss. Stuff the
turkey with this preparation. roast,
dress and pour over little good gravy.