Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-12-15

!: : !: !: !
w EAXNEMo full fondness the an
MI %fS>l NsS.A dquarian customs be-
III 4SS-@ 'N'CiEg TO the merry
| VAAEHlI&Ir1T 49, Christmas-tide. We
WfAoMW W M hear no more of pigs
WW WI ~ head, garnished with
rosemary; of the pea
cock pie magnifcently decorated with an
outspread tail of real feathers; of the huge
ancient sirloin," occupying distinguish
ed post. 1t is true, the wassail bowl still
holds its place in the Christmas festivities
of old Virginia, though in q shadowy way,
for there are no roasted apples bcbbing
| about the surface of modern christmas
punch And Dame Mince Pie has not quito
deserted US, but she does not giggle at us.
as Of old, from a loaded table that Is an
epitome of an overlooking larder. In short,
aestheticism has swooped upon the old
fashioned profusion of Christmas dinners
with such success that we now celebrate
Christ's birth In a tolerably gastronomic
manner.
A New York woman whose orbit crosses
the highest fashionable heavens gives a
rueful account of her last years efforts
to have a colonial Christmas dinner. 1t
did not prove to be the charming revival
she had expected. The soup was so gen
erously served in the ancestral tureen
that when she plunged the ladle into its
rich depths she seemed to be drawing upon
the resources of a pond. The turkey was
produced in all the brown beauty Of its
crisp skin and dissectsd on the table, but
the host, who, like most modern husbands,
had long abdcated his hospitable duties
and quite forgotten how to carve even so
Cn~eSiSting fowl as a spring chicken,
haggled legs and wings and white meat"
in an enraged discontinue quite uncom-
| Portable to behold. The dinner dragged its
| loaded, weary length along until the mile
stone of pies was reached-pies pumpkin,
pies custard, pies mince. Then the hostess
met her Waterloo The cook, unaccus-
| toned to the manipula ton of pastry be-
yond the little limits of individual pates,
had constructed an 'undercrust" that was
triumph of tough indigestihility, and the
host looked on with revengeful grins while
his wife, armed with her grandmothers
dull silver pie knife, endeavored to saw
into triangular slices the traditional Christ
mas pie. She survived the struggle but
| the pie pieces reached their several desti-
nations in a very mangled condition.
An Up-tO-Date Menu.
This year she hopes to dine in q frame
of mind more peacefully appropriate to the
season. She has arranged, therefore, the
! following up-to-date menu, which will be
| served without hard labor on her part and
| which Will leave her more at liberty tc
| echo merry greetings. That is to say, she
will have a rational amount of food served
| from the side. as usual. The time-honored
| holly will beautify the table and Palestine
soup will give tribute to the season. but
otherwise, the dinner will wander from the
| old track Of Christmas cookery:
Oysters.
| Palestine Soup.
Fish Zephyres.
81 aised Turkey.
PURGE of Vegetables.
Mushrooms au gratin.
Baked Ham
Benedictine EGGS.
Plum Pudding.
Mince Rolls.
Ice Cream CroQuettes,
With Port Wine Sauce
Orange Salad. Coffee.
The oysters will not be served on the
half shell, with lemon, but in broad quaint
little goblets, on bed of crushed ice, DASH
ed with Worcestershire sauce, and accom-
panied with wafer-ike sandwiches of
brown bread and butter.
Here is the recipe for Palestine soup.
which Is a very delicate and delicious in
PRODUCTION to a holiday dinner: Wash and
peel several Jerusalem artichokes and Law
them in stewpan with a tablespoonful Of
butter, slice of ham, and a small bunch
OF parsley. Cover closely, and place over
gentle fire for ten minutes, giving an &C.
casional shake, to prevent sticking or burn
Ing. Then add enough cold water to co, err
the artichokes entirely, and boil gently till
soft. Rub through sieve mix the water
In which they were boiled with them, add
pepper ana salt to taste, and as much
boiling milk as will bring the soup to a
"
ing, stir in half pint of cream made hot.
CrOquettes and Turkey.
Fish zephyres: These dainty croouettes
should be delicate golden brown, quite
crisp on the outside, and the inside soft
and creamy. Any white firm fish will an
swer; 1T should be boiled. the bones care
fully removed. and the flesh shredded The
foundation of zephyres, that which binds
the ingredients together is a cream sauce
made as follows:
In an enameled saucepan place 4 table,
spoonful or butter. when this begins to
boil stir in gently a desscrtspoonful of
-four, when quite smooth thin with half n
pint OF milk or stock, If preferred season
with pepper and salt; when the flour is
entirely cooked and the sauce is perfectly
smooth take 1t off the fire and stir into
it pint of the fish flakes mixed with
half teaspoonful of grated onion and the
same of chopped parsley. After having
well mixed the meat and sauce turn II out
to get cold; when IT has formed into a
stiff jelly have ready half pint of graf
ed, siftcd bread crumbs and two eggs, well
beaten, seasoned with pepper and SILT
keeping the beaten eggs separate from the
crumbs. Roll the fish jelly into shape;
then roll into the grated crumbs then the
beaten eggs and lastly into the crumbs
again. Fry in boiling lard, taking care
that the balls are covered Serve on OBJ
long slices of bread, with crusts trimmed
off and fried TO light brown in a little
butter Arrange the zephyres on a dish
covered with folded napkin ana garnish
with fried parsley.
Braised turkcy.-This should be prepared
and stuffed in the usual manner with veal
forCemeat or chestnutS stewed in gravy iii
tender. After II has been neatly and
firmly trussed, put in a stewpan, with n
few ounces of fresh butter, and turn II
about over q brisk fire until nicelv Drowned
oil over: then place II in another pan unon
q bed of mixed herbs and vegetables that
have been cut in small pieces: pour in
enough stock to cover the vegetables
barely cover them; lay a sheet of buttered
paper closely over the turkey; then put on
the lid and cook very gently over a mod
crate fire. basting frequently with the
liquid in the pan, until the cooking is sat
isfactorily completed. By the time the
turkey is thoroughly done It will have alb
eorbed the full favor of the stock and the
various vegetables, and, consequently, the
flesh viii DC tender, rich and juicy. But IN
order to accomplish this most desirable re-
suit the process of cooking must he slow,
and great care must be taken to see that
the contents of the pan never reach the
boiling point. but only simmer all the time.
1t is by paying strict attention TO this.
and by browning the bird quickly In the
first place. and so retaining all the nat
AN Liz