The Spokane woman. [volume] (Spokane, Wash.) 1921-1935, 1927-07-07


bines two interests with such pre-
cision as does Sophie Kerr Underwood.
Mrs. Underwood is, of course. the
writer whose short stories appear with
great regularity in the best known
magazines. And she is moreover Il
most distinguished gourmet In her
newest collection of stories, Con
fetti," which is to be published June
II by George II. Doran Company, Mrs.
Underwood devotes the first section
to stories which depend for their
drama upon the cooking of superlative
meals. Unlike most writer's who tell
how clever their characters are but
never furnish convincing proof Mrs.
Underwood gives not only the menus
her people use but even II generous
hint of the recipes. And after read
ing them one is content TO be class
flied as Greedy" the name of the sec
ton which includes these particular
stories.
Halves of iced grapefruit, the cen
tiers filled with white grapes, seeded
and cut i'm half, the whole flecked ever
so lightly with sugar dissolved in the
L
pale yellow-green of the combined
fruit was as subtle as their flavor.
Followed another color symphony. Il
PURGE of fresh young peas dotted with
brown crouton dice, and with the thin
nest of round sandwiches each holding
slice of red tomato. seasoned and
drained from mayonnaise. Now came
Il noble James River Shad, stuffed
and baked so slowly, so carefully, that
all of the smaller bones had been dis
solved i'm the process. With the shad
came new potato balls, dipped in
melted butter and chopped parsley.
and curls of pale crisp cucumber,
sprinkled with green pepper and
grated egg, bathed in French dressing,
rudy with paprika. Hot beaten bis
cult, too, little and round and light.
And then a heaping pile of slender
young scalliOns. steamed To melting
tenderness, and bathed in "A creamy
sauce. The dessert was IL lemon pie,
superb, proud lemon pie, all culver
ing gold below against Il fiaky crust,
and two-inch flavorous meringue
above. And with it came Bel Paese
cheese, just soft and complacent
enough to make the lemon pie seem
even more ravishing by contrast.
Canapes of herring roe and Spanish
anchovy blended with lemon and on
ion and capers and cayenne. Soup of
grated fresh sweet corn bathed in u
rich milk broth, and full Of tiny ''riv-
vles" - egg dumplings rubbed into
mere crumbs and cooked 10 perfect
lghtness and tenderness. Real Nir-
ginia home cured ham, first boiled.
then skinned and baked in thick
crust of brown sugar and English wal
nut meats set round with cloves,
basted with grape vinegar until it,
facade was crisp and glistening
brown, palest ecru to deepest Van
Dyck. Sweet potatoes, the dry, red
skinned kind, mashed with sherry and
cream and butter and put back in the
shells to re-bake, came with the ham,
as did also enormous picked peaches.
set deep in jelly made from their own
luscious sour-sweet syrup. Hearts of
romaine and sliced alligator pear with
a French dressing, in which had been
stirred "A spoonful of fine chopped
fresh mint leaves. Cheese strawS
crumbling with richness added one
more charm to this salad. The dessert
was a chilled compete Of figs stewed
with strips of lemon peel and the mer-
est hint of ginger root, but the creamy
sauce was sauvity itself-rice and
ground almonds cooked slowly to moth
inn IN rich milk and sugar favored