Evening star., 1924-07-18
'Hostesses and Their Art
=; -; How Popularity Is Won When Guests Are
Received in the Home-Methods of Making the
Dining Room Attractive When Entertaining

meat course. or they may be placed
at the beginning, one at each cover,
in fold of the napkin. At very
formal dinner salt is not necessary.
1t is supposed that the seasoning of
each dish is perfect, yet we find con
cessionS to individual taste provided
for by small salt and pepper holders
placed at each cover, or one set be-
tween two covers. When sticks of
celery are served, the salt is a neces-
sity. Otherwise the guest is sup
posed to make use of it unobtrusively,
lest his need of ii should reflect on
the cook.
Radishes, salted nuts. mints, bon
hons and other little sundries usually
appear on the table from the begin
ming in especially pretty dishes,
which add to the decorative scheme.
Radishss. nuts, olives and the like
are offered to one another by the
guests between the courses to fill
in the time of waiting. The hostess
gives kind of signal when to begin.
by asking the man who took her in
to dinner to pass her one of the little
dishes, and then 1very other man fol-
lows suit and loc ks out for his part
ner in the same way.
At Il very formal dinner, where
there are many watt esSeS, the dishes
are taken from the table one by one
and offered by the mattresses from
a small saiver covered with little
dolly.
The second class of reIishes. the
sweet ones. like mintS. bonbonS, can
died peel and SO on, are not offered
until after the sweet course Nuts
may be eaten at any time during the
meal. and the individual basket of
nuts for each guest makes one in
dependent of ones ne1ghbor and the
waitress. and free TO eat them at
ones own discretion. 1t is "A gen
ercus and hospitable form of serving
them.
When a meal is served English
style the meat platter is first re-
moved, then the large vegetable
dishes. then the Individual plates of
the guests. beginning with that of
the guest of honor and ending with
the plates of the host and hostess.
Salts and peppers and such relishes
as radiShes. olives, celery and such
other things are removed immedi-
ately before the sweet course, but
relishes such as nuts, candied ginger
and bOnhons are allowed to remain,
as these may yet he eaten
Strictly speaking the bread and
butter plate and spreader are cor
rectlS used only at breakfast. but
they may be placed for all except
a very formal luncheon, and for all
home dinners except when a point is
made of strict adherence to the Eng
lish style of serving. Properly, the
bread and butter plate has no place
at formal dinner.
Decorative Dishes.
1t is just as important that food
should look nice as that il should be
well cooked. In hot weather espe-
cially dish that looks attractive
tempts the appetite far more than
one which tastes equally well but
which is badly serveH Some house
wives think that the Srst of a dain-
lilly decorated dish is 50 great that il
is n
however, is not the case. Pretty dec
orations may be made with beets.
CUCUMBER skin, parsley, the skin of
red chillies and the white and yolk
can both be made inexpensively, and
are a great addition to cold dishes.
y little butter beaten to cream and
put into forcing bag can be piped
in any design at small cost and with
out much trouble. and makes ~ eff
fective decoration.
\ good way of using up cold beef
of any kind is first TO make it into a
beef roll. After it has been cooked.
press it between two dishes with
until cold. When cold, brush it over
with glaze, and either pipe round a
decoration of creamed butter in a
conventional pattern or decorate with
fancy shapes Of beet or white of egg.
To make a marguerite, cut the
white of an egg into strips the size
of the real flower petals and arrange
these in the form of the flower. The,
center is made with round of the
yolk of the egg, and stems and leaves
are maze of thin strips of cucumber
rind \ bud or two of flowers can
be made if liked.
Another pretty decoration is made
of half moons of beet or white of egg
Scallop fashion round the
edge of a meat cake, with star or
other conventional design in the
center. To make the half moon, cut
thin slices of beet or white of egg
into small rounds. and with the side
of the round cutter stamp out half
moons from each side of the round.
This leaves a petal-shaped piece in
the center, which is useful for max
ing flowers and stars.
well favored brown or white
sauce to which four or five sheets
of gelatin have been added poured
when nearly set over meat cakes.
outlets. beef roll and other food, and
decorated when cold, makes A dish
look extremely pretty. Cooked peas
and tiny diced cooked carrots can
also be utilized for garnishing.
Ingenuity can be exercised in many
ways in serving up dishes. A mince
Of any kind of cooked meat. mixed
with suitable sauce and served in
scallop shells with a border of
preferable to a large dish of mince
served in a border of potatoes. Scraps
Of pastry cut into thin strips wound
round washed and scraped carrots
and baked. the carrots then removed.
form little cOrnucopiaS or horns
which may be filled with minced meat
or fish mixed with sauce.