The San Francisco call., 1910-06-12
VEGETABLES
FORM TABLE
DECORATIONS
Costly Potato, Expensive Arti=
choke and Rare Green Corn
Blend in Harmony
Dessert at so Cents and Meat
at 40 Are COstIiest Items
on the Menu
House Keepers. attention,


If YOU are possessed of brains and
ingenuity and a moderate amount of
pocket money you can entertain on a
fairly elaborate scale at the rate of
- cents per plate. This fact was proved
beyond doubt at the luncheon to Is
at which Mrs NJ. 5. Eisner was hostess
at her home in Baker street yesterday.
The total expenditure was S225 and
the menu, prepared mainly by herself.
consisted Of the usual courses for such
luncheons.
1T is all a matter of presentation,
anyway" Mrs. Eisner said yesterday,
as she put the finishing touches to
The table decorations. Take the
choicest food and serve it carelessly
and 1t makes less of an impression than
a less expensive dish with attention
paid 10 all OF the dainty details" As
she spoke she scattered some chopped
parsley is the finishing touch TO the
salad, which was ready 10 serve on
table to the side. Next 10 il stood an
appetzing dish Of cheese balls.
You see these" she went on; they
are made simply Of cents worth of
California cheese, mixed with little
olive oil and a dash of paprika, and
with half q peanut pressed on each
side. They illustrate my meaning. An
inexpensive luncheon takes a great deal
of thought, but it pays for itself in the
long run. And please also notice that
my table is in keeping"
SERVED IN WOODEN PLATES
Welt was and it wasn't. It
looked like q masterpiece Of the dec
orators art although the homely
fruits and vegetables of the season
We're the mediums used to offset the
cleaning silver and slittering cut
glass. Large wooden plates were at
each place and white paper napkins
with deep pale pink borders carried
out the inexpensive idea, in keeping
in tone with the pale pink of the silver
canoelabra casting a soft glow over
the highly polished bare table.
In the center stood a great low, fat
japanese basket with two open heads
Of lettuce and an ear or two Of half
open corn, potatoes, artichokes and
aspara gus and the vivid scarlet of
.currants and strawberries. filing il
TO oVeriOwing. On the handles were
gracefully caught a bunch of parsley
ana one Of cherries and on the other
side a handful Of asparagus. And, as
if poured forth from this horn of
plenty, vegetables and fruits rambled
an over the board, scattered in rich
confusion with a carelessness that pre-
cluded all stiffness. Curved lettuce
leaves served as vases for currants
and blackberries, strawberries and
IOganberFies one or two small Vege-
Ia bile baskets filled with the fruit broke
the monotOny anI a great head Of
caulIlOwer added still another touch.
Carrots and turnips and punches of
radishes, the orange and yellow tones
of mandarinS peaches and apricOts and
the deeper tintS Of tomatoes and pep
pers We're other added realistic touches
that helped TO make the affair one of
f-rrrr ~ Is. Of 1fc
citvs entertainments.
FOOD l. HIGHER
My own idea, too Mrs Eisner said.
-'in keeping with the character of my
luncheon. And this isn't my first at
tempt YOU know. Seven years ago u
of as got up what we called our 10 cent
club That. literally translated, meant
that we were 10 get up luncheOns for
each other at the rate of 10 cents
head. or q total of $l2O. The first
luncheon / gave with soup and fish
and salad. entree, meat, vegetables. des-
sert. etc. with all Of the little extras. I
duplicated exactly last year. and il cost
me then 20 cents a plate. SO you see
food has gone up. Ny menu is different
today. I was afraid 1 would have to
90 over the limit ] gave myself but /
didn {. I just managed with the 10
cents.
The first course was soup in bouillon
cups. served with OPS cents worth of
crackers. The meat for this. the host
ess estimated. cost Is cents: 10 cents
worth Of olives, .025 of radishes and -
of butter covered the cost of the little
extras all served in the daintiest style
Fifteen smelts formed the fish course
served a la blanche, with shoe string
potatoes and a delicious looking aspic
the hostess own innovation. made from
The heads Of the fishes, highly seasoned.
garnished with chopped egg parsley
and mushrooms, the total costing Al
cents.
The salad course of finely cut string
beans. lettuce and parsley, with French
dressing. cost Is cents; and the piece
de resistance. Hungarian ragOut with
rice. cost - cents, with about cents,
worth Of seasoning used in all.
The strawberry tarts and charlotte
russo. which formed the dessert course.
amounted TO 50 cents. and the black
coffee cost i cents. the whole outlay
FOR the luncheon amounting TO 1925
The menu cards. Of white and green,
were the work of the hostess daugh-
ter Miss Helen Eisner. and bore on the
front the menu in French and on the
back the itemized cost of the luncheon.
The chef d'oeuvre was a pOtpourri
salad. A large bowl was passed at the
salad course. with artificial leaves in
termingled with the real. Each guest
drew one of these and found inclosed a
game. called Flesh Fish and Fowl"
The accompanying questions were
guessed and for the one getting the
correct answers first "101 Salads" was
given as prize. The BOBBY prize was
: head Of lettuce, with the advice to 20
home and make better salad The
luncheon was complete and marked
success and proved what is possible
with a viii, a few ingredients and
nominal sum of pocket money.