The morning call., 1895-02-02
FOR THE TABLE.

San Francisco housekeepers have been ton
ing up this last week at the pure food exhibit
through the medium of Mrs. Lineoln's lectures.
They have perhaps not learned very much
which is actually new to them, but there is
cha I'm in the careful, almost rudimentary de-
tail which is entered into with each object dis
eussed. It is interesting TO see how Eastern
visitors are impressed by our markets. We
ssunter through them exclaiming over the
variety of fruits and vegetables, full of the
proud consciousness that there are no finer
markets in the world and a stranger comes
announcing her inability to secure grapes for
G fruit-salsd or celery in sufficiently good con-
dition to be used in any quantity. So we must
lower our banners a little and admit that our
celery is not equal to the Eastern article, and
that our vines do not bear fruit in January.
Two salads, however, Mrs. Lincoln did pre-
pare for her appreciative and delighted audi
ence last Wednesday, Normandy salad and
one of potatoes. The first variety was made
from equal parts of green peas and shelled
English walnuts. The peas used were canned,
which seemed little strange, considering the
excellent quality of the fresh article now in
market and which we were told could be used
with equally good effect after being boiled and
allowed to become cold. The earned peas were
rinsed in cold water and drained quite dry.
They were then mixed with the walnut meat
and dressed with mayonnsise sauce. The
salad dish was lined with lettuce leaves and
the mixture, in quantity about quart, was
put in and masked with the dressing. The
decorations of the dish were buttercups, though
the preference was given to nasturtiums had
they been available, another vulnerable point
in our armor.
sThe preparation of the lettuce and of the
walnuts was considered worthy of special at
tention. The lettuce should be washed leaf by
leaf TO remove every particle of grit, and
should then be very gently wiped dry with
soft cloth. The leaves should then be put to-
gether in their natural order and laid in the
fee chest till needed.
The nuts should be cracked so that the meats
may be in halves. These are laid on board
and cut in three pieces Iengthwise, then trans
versely till the bits are about the size of pea.
But before cutting the walnut must be
blanched that is, the bitter brown skin,
which has tendency to produce canker in
tender mouth must be removed. To do this,
pour boiling water over the halves of walnut
and with q small, sharp-pointed knife remove
the brown skin. This part of the performance
is good deal like work, and the audience was
cautioned against entering recklessly upon the
preparation of a large amount of Normandy
salad.
The mayonnaise for this was made by using
the yelks of two eggs, q little sugar, salt and
pepper and a pint of oil. Mrs. Lincoln valves
the rather useless preliminaries Of setting the
materials and utensils on ice, but mikes the
dressing in small saucepan set in larger
pan containing cracked ice and water. The
small saucepan was recommended on account
OF its having handle to hold by while mixing
the egg and oil. The egg was stirred for some
time with q small wooden spatula, until it be-
gan to thieken. The oil was then added, half
teaspoonful at a time at first, and then in
larger quantities until pint had been used,
the lecturer chatting pleasantly the while on
the chemical reasons for her movements. We
did not all know that the yelk of the egg con-
tains very heavy oil, which must be mixed
with the lighter olive oil very gradually at
first, until as the work progresses the olive oil
is converted into the heavy oil, and its capacity
for absorbing the lighter article constantly
increases.
When enough oil had been added the lemon
juice-two tablespoonfuls-was mixed with it
and the result was very smooth, thick sauce,
grateful to the eye and apparently eminently
so TO the taste of those who were fortunate
enough to secure a sample.
The other salad shown was one of potato
made after the German recipe, where the pota-
toes are cooked in their jackets and removed
from the water while they still have "bone"
in the middle. When cold they are cut in two
Iengthwise and each half is cut in the same
way, and the potato is then cut in pieces about
half ap/ineh thick. With one pint of these
cubes bIrs. Lincoln mixed small quantity of
dressing made by rubbing one saltspoonful OF
mustard with an equal quantity of white pep
per, half a teaspoonful OF salt, teaspoonful Of
onion juice and two teaspoonfuls of vinegar.
When this was well incorporated, six teaspoon
fuls of oil and three Of vinegar were added and
the salad placed on lettuce leaves was ready to
garnish and serve. The garnish for this con-
sisted of hard-boiled eggs and chopped parsley.
The eggs were boiled, or rather put into boil
ing water and kept at the boiling point for
fifteen minutes; the whites and yelks were
then separated and put through what the
lecturer called a "ricer'-a metal potato
masher-and the yelks were laid in golden
path over the center Of the salad and the whites
on each side, and the whole was lightly
sprinkled with the chopped parsley.
The potato salad prepared in this way has
quite a different flavor from that which is
served in some of our Spanish or Mexican res
taurants. There the potato is very thoroughly
cooked and evidently dressed hot. The dress
ing has less vinegar and is favored with few
leaves of yerba buena chopped with the pars-
ley. Mrs. Lincoln called attention to the fact
that the quantity of oil used must be in meas
ure regulated by the variety of potato, as some
kinds absorb more oil than others. The new
potatoes, being waxy, are generally given the
preference. Onions affect the vinegar SO that
even though the directions given may be fol-
lowed implicitly, it is absolutely necessary to
taste the salad before serving it to the table to
zee that the seasoning is just right
A few words were said to the ladies present
in regard to having all the plates and dishes
used in serving salad very cold, and they were
also cautioned not to put the salad together un-
til the very moment of serving, and low glass
dish was advised for the potato salad.