Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1901-05-09
A STRAWBERRY LUNCHEON
SUGGESTIONS For THE TABLE AND
THE MEAL.
Recipes for Water Ices, ShOrtcak'
and Other Tasty
Dishes.

Dishes.
| The bright May brings the luscious berry
| whose temperance is evidence that the
cold days and the sunless moons are over
| for several months. No fruit is popular
| as the strawberry. 1t is sacred to the
| church militant, for only the recording
angel can audit it's account of churches
built. There Is a discreet and yet allurina
respecta bility about the strawberry festt'
val, the function ecclesiastical and fol
generation after generation the berry has
gone on in favor in communities urban
and suburban. a potent factor In fncreas-
ing church revenues. About the same
| characteristics mark the strawberry festi-
val of the new century as characterized the
| fete of half century ago. At small tables
presided over by the prettiest DANES and
damSelS of the congregation to be enriched
Strawberries cake and ice cream are served
| for a consideration in proportion to the
| finances Of the sheep to be shorn. The
| cake exhibit must include a supply Of the
famed American strawberry shortcake,
| compounded by the best baker in the con-
gregation. AS the cake is contributed and
| the cost OF the other articles is very small,
| the profits considerable.
Usually a flower booth adds to the at
! tractiveness Of the festival" according to
the financial committee and hackers Of the
affair; but, as the flowers are sold at ap-
palling prices and man is not so willing to
part with his cash in such chunks even
for the fair damSel to whom his heart s
devotion is temporarily plighted, the sue
cess of the flower industry as an adjunct
to the strawberry festival cannot be relied
| upon.
A strawberry luncheon, which Is a purely
secular event, Is quite another matter.
Spring luncheons are bore unless they
have some note of novelty, and strawberry
luncheOnS are not much Of tax on the
ingenuity Of the entertainer.
The Vine and Fruit.
The color scheme and the decorations
should, Of course. suggest the strawberry.
If the table centerpiece is Of white en-
broidered with green sprays bearing fruit
or flowers, a good idea is to have the center
floral decoration a low dish Of silver or
china, in which some fresh strawberry
vines bearing ripe fruit and flowers are
apparently growing. The long. Vlnins
sprays Of the plant should hang down
over the sides Of the receptacle. The
shades for the candles are of Grape tissue
paper or OF silk to match the color of the
fruit and the candles themselves are white.
The bonbonnieres of fragile white china
are supplied with candies delicately col
ored to represent strawberries. Bonbon-
nieres may be made by taking half a
dozen souffie cases Of the large size and
sewing to each one a handle of ribbon wire
covered with q box plating of Grape pa
per. The outside of the cases may also be
covered with a double box plating Of
Grape paper. The colors Of the bonbon-
Mere may vary, one being covered with
white paper with bows of strawberry red
ribbon on the handles or bows of green.
and another may be of foliage green
adorned with red ribbons. to follow the
colors found on a strawberry plant. Each
Of the little baskets. filled with red or
being tinted
the use of spinach juice. perfectly harm
less coloring fluid, makes charming and
effective souvenir. The menu cards should
have a decoration of Strawberries, flowers
or fruit nesting among sprays of foliage.
If the table cover is a Semt-transparent
one inset with lace, strawberry colored
foundation Of silk or sateen viii give a
warm, pretty tint to the room.
The First Course.
For a strawberry luncheon the first
course may suitably consist OF a number
Of large, ripe. unhulled berries arranged
on a piece Of lace paper around central
pyramid Of powdered sugar. A small dish
SO arranged should be placed before each
guest.
A novel way of serving the Ice cream is
to have the cream nodded in the shape Of
berries and served in a little basket lined
with round of lace paper.
Strawberries may be served In so many
different ways that 1t seems superf1uous to
suggest menus to the average good house
wife. Strawberry Bavarian cream is a de-
Hcious dish. To make 1t cover half a box
of gelatin which has soaked in water for
half an hour and stand it over boiling water
until it has melted. Then strain into 1t
strawberry Juice, obtained by MASKING one
quart of sweetened berries and passing
them through a sieve to remove the seeds
When the strawberry Juice and gelatin
have been mixed. turn into mold dish and
stir until 1t begins to thicken. Add one
pint Of whipped cream, pour into a mold
and let 1t harden.
When Dessert 10 Served.
To make strawberry water ice for eight
persons use one quart Of water, the juice
Of two lemons, one pound Of sugar and one
quart OF ripe berries. The Strawberries
should be mashed and mixed with the lem
on juice and sugar before being set aside
to stand for one hour. Then they should be
strained through sieve, combined with the
water and turned into the freezer for con-
gealinS.
To make strawberry tapioca take a cup
Of tapioca, wash it thoroughly and soak it
overnight The next day put it on the fire
and let 1t slowly cook until the tapioca
looks transparent. Stir the berries into the
boiling tapioca strain the berries through
a sieve until the seeds have been removed
and add the Juice to the tapioca. Add
sugar and cream to taste when this dessert
is served.
To make good strawberry shortcake
rub two ounces of butter into quart Of
-four. Add a teaspoonful of salt, two tea
spoonfuls OF baking powder and enough
milk to make a dough. Compound as
quickly as possible, roll out to about an
inch and half in thickness and bake for
twenty minutes in a quick oven. Split in
half and cover each section with butter.
Have the berries stemmed, mashed and
sWeetened and spread them over one-half
of the shortcake Cover with the other
half. On the top of the cake place a few
berries. Serve with cream as soon as
baked.
Machfas to BE COmmissfoned,
The gunboat Machias will be put in COM
mission about the 18th instant. She takes