Gala-Day Luncheons: A Little Book of Suggestions

Part 6

Chapter 64,180 wordsPublic domain

Decorate your table with golden-rod or autumn leaves or a mixture of golden-rod and purple asters, the two flowers which are so beautiful together; do not on any account use garden or hot-house flowers for a luncheon, which on its face suggests out-of-door sport. Search the magazines for bicycle advertisements, and cut out bicyclers in all sorts of attitudes and dress, and paste these on cards with a brief line commending some one make of wheel for each guest; the more extravagant the praise of each, the better. There are all sorts of pretty little favours to be had of bicycles, tricycles, and tandems, which will serve as souvenirs. This may be transformed into an automobile luncheon by the change of the two conveyances. Oysters are again in season, and will be welcomed by the hostess as a first course.

OYSTERS ON THE HALF-SHELL. TOMATO SOUP. CREAMED LOBSTER IN SHELLS. QUAIL ON TOAST. POTATO CROQUETTES. JELLY. HOT ROLLS. GRAPE SHERBET. APPLE SALAD. WATER-CRESS SANDWICHES. FROZEN PEACHES. CAKE. COFFEE. BONBONS.

The salad is made by scooping out the whole inside of a large red apple, after a slice has been carefully cut from the stem end with a sharp knife; this pulp is chopped, mixed with small bits of celery and English walnuts, with stiff mayonnaise, and the whole returned to the apple, the top being put on again so that the cut does not show; this is a very pretty salad, especially if care is taken to choose perfect apples.

As college opens again there are always those whose school-days are over, who are "left lamenting" somewhat because the happy days are no more. For such, a luncheon may be arranged which will have special reference to the common past of a group of classmates.

ALUMNI LUNCHEON

Lay the table prettily with the usual doilies, bonbon dishes of almonds, radishes, candies, and crystallised fruits. Garden asters are now in full bloom and come in great variety of colour, and these will make a beautiful centrepiece, massed in a large bowl. The combination of crimson and pink, of pink and white, or of white and purple is better than the use of one shade alone. The table should be lighted with Roman lamps or else with Jerusalem candlesticks, as suggestive of classical studies; to be sure, September is one of the sunny months, but this luncheon may be used quite as well at some other time of the year as the fall, if that is desired, so the suggestion of the lamps may stand.

The most attractive feature of the luncheon may be the cards, which may well be preserved for years as souvenirs of college as well as of this meal; they are to be photographs of the particular place in the college grounds or dormitories or village with which each guest was most associated. If one has a friend still in college with a kodak (and what college girl does not own one?), she can take and send them to you. The girl who was oftenest in the Dean's office for reprimand may have a picture of that interior; the one who was champion at basket ball, a view of the gymnasium with the team at play; the girl who was the best at chemistry, a glimpse of the laboratory; the one who frequented the soda fountain down town, a picture of that. Or, if these photographs are too frivolous, pictures of beautiful views about the college grounds may be substituted.

The luncheon may suggest in its menu the favourite dishes of some of the class, or one course might be a reminder of something served constantly on the college table; this meal really gives unlimited opportunity for ingenuity.

If the weather does not admit of using artificial lights, and yet the table is felt to be incomplete without the small Roman lamps, they might be filled with flowers instead of oil and used as decorations, the central group of asters being kept low in a very shallow bowl.

PEACHES AND GRAPES. CREAM OF CORN SOUP. CREAMED OYSTERS. JELLIED CHICKEN. PIM-OLAS. CHOPS WITH PEAS. SWEET POTATO CROQUETTES. LEMON SHERBET. TOMATO AND LETTUCE SALAD. FRENCH DRESSING. SANDWICHES. MAPLE PARFAIT. CAKES. COFFEE. BONBONS.

The maple parfait is one of the most delicious of desserts, and one easily prepared as well. The yolks of eight eggs are beaten stiff, a cupful of maple syrup is added, and the whole is heated until it makes a thick coating on the spoon, when it is taken from the fire and beaten until it is cold; a pint of thick cream is then beaten stiff and mixed lightly with the eggs and syrup, and the whole is put in a melon mould and packed in ice and salt for five hours. The bonbons served with the coffee should be those especially fancied by the girls of the college; if there is a fudge named for the institution, that is the sweet to choose.

A LABOUR DAY LUNCHEON

As Labour Day is a national holiday, it must be regarded as a gala day. A luncheon which is in keeping with the occasion must not be elaborate, but, on the contrary, as simple as may be without actually serving the labourer's bill of fare. A good deal may be done to divert the guests without giving a suspicion of making fun of the occasion, which is not in the least contemplated. The table should be laid with a cloth, plain white china used, and the decorations should be wild flowers. The cards should bear a sketch of a labourer, and the favours should be small picks, shovels, spades, and hoes, such as children play with. Have a course of cold meat, and one of baked beans, as well as one in which crackers, cheese, and coffee are served at the same time.

BOUILLON (IN TIN CUPS). BAKED BEANS IN BEAN-POTS. COLD LAMB. PICKLES. BREAD AND BUTTER. POTATO SALAD. VANILLA ICE CREAM (IN SMALL TIN DINNER-PAILS). CRACKERS, CHEESE, AND COFFEE.

This is a rather plain meal, but nothing else will be appropriate, and the idea of the day will prove its best sauce.

October

One of the oddest of luncheons may be given in October on the tin-wedding anniversary, for as this is a favourite month for weddings, anniversaries are sure to be frequent among one's friends; the bride of a decade ago may gather her former bridesmaids for a luncheon served with reminiscences, or a bridesmaid may entertain the group, or possibly a number of October brides of ten years' standing may gather to celebrate on one day the anniversaries scattered through the month.

A TIN-WEDDING LUNCHEON

Lay the table in pink; have a lace centrepiece over silk, a tin quart measure in the middle filled with pink bridesmaid's roses, and pink candles with pink rose shades, if the day is dark. Use small tin plates for the bread and butter, and put the bonbons, almonds, radishes, and candied ginger in little scalloped tins. A souvenir spoon may be given each guest,--of tin, of course,--tied with a white ribbon, with the name of some city the bride did not visit on her wedding trip painted in white letters in the bowl; one is supposed to believe that these spoons were purchased at Copenhagen, Constantinople, and Moscow with a view to this occasion. Or, if souvenir spoons seem altogether out of date, though really they would have been quite the thing ten years ago, and are therefore no anachronism, give the guests some small tin utensil such as an apple-corer, or a nutmeg-grater. Serve everything in tin; the bouillon in small cups with handles, the sherbet in scalloped tins, the fish, salad, and ice cream on tin plates of medium size, and the chicken on larger ones. The coffee may be in tin timbale moulds. If you use candles, put them in ordinary tin candlesticks.

PEACHES. BOUILLON. BROILED OYSTERS ON TOAST. CURRIED EGGS IN RICE BORDER. CHICKEN BREASTS WITH ITALIAN CHESTNUTS. POTATO CROQUETTES. ROLLS. ORANGE SHERBET. PLUM SALAD. LETTUCE SANDWICHES. SUNSHINE ICE CREAM AND CAKE. COFFEE. BONBONS.

To prepare curried eggs, boil as many as are needed until hard, peel, and put them in a ring of boiled rice which has been turned out of a border mould; this rice should be well seasoned with a little chopped parsley mixed with it. Over all should be poured a white sauce flavoured with curry powder, and on the top should be sprinkled grated Parmesan cheese, and the whole lightly browned in the oven.

The Italian chestnuts served with the chicken are to be boiled until the shells can be removed, and then stewed gently in cream until they are tender; the inner skin is not to be removed, as this gives the chestnuts a purple colour and serves to keep them in shape.

The salad is made of the largest plums to be found; they are to be peeled, halved, and laid on lettuce with either French dressing or mayonnaise.

The ice cream is a rich vanilla cream made with the yolks of the eggs; it is served in a very large sunshine cake,--that is, an angels' food with the yolks of the eggs added,--which has been turned upside down and had the entire centre cut out, leaving only a ring of the cake. The cream is put in this in large rounded spoonfuls, and a slice of the cake is cut and served with each. If any of the wedding cake has been kept, some other cream may be used for the luncheon, and the cake, cut in small pieces, passed with it.

HALLOWE'EN LUNCHEON

This luncheon should be carried out in yellow and brown, and if one can have autumn leaves for decoration she will feel that she has the really appropriate thing; still, if these are not to be had, or if the colours have vanished from them, there are other things which will do almost as well. A pumpkin might serve as a centrepiece, with the top off and the centre cut out, filled either with fruit or chestnuts or chrysanthemums, or the latter may be used alone in a tall vase. The little dishes on the table should hold chocolates and plenty of marrons, or candied chestnuts. Few persons know, until they have tried the experiment, how easily these latter dainties are prepared at home; after boiling, peeling, and simmering them in a thick syrup, they are rolled in sugar and laid on oiled paper; a simple way of making what is usually considered an expensive luxury.

Your guest cards should be decorated with sketches of witches or brownies, or lighted candles; or you may purchase some small souvenirs, such as stick-pins with witches, or silver crescents with figures with brooms seated at one end. Cards of burnt leather are also in keeping with the colours of the table and with the idea of the day.

Darken the room and light the gas, but turn it low; get some of the little bonbon boxes in the shape of oranges, or empty orange skins; through an opening at one end, cut eyes, nose, and mouth, as is done in making Jack o' lanterns, drop a little hot wax in the bottom of each, and put in a small lighted candle; the effect is decidedly quaint and pretty when the table is all lighted. If a supper is desired rather than a luncheon, these same suggestions will do for that, and if the menu is too long, the croquettes and sherbet may be omitted.

WHITE GRAPES. TOMATO BISQUE. FRIED OYSTERS. SAUCE TARTARE. CHICKEN CROQUETTES WITH PEAS. QUAIL. CURRANT JELLY. FRENCH FRIED POTATOES. GRAPE FRUIT SHERBET IN SKINS. SWEETBREADS IN ASPIC. MAYONNAISE. WINE JELLY WITH CREAM. CAKES. CHOCOLATE.

The sherbet is delicious, but rather troublesome to prepare. Small fruit is selected, the pulp removed in spoonfuls without the breaking the sections, and after sweetening well, it is packed in the freezer to stand four hours; meanwhile the skins of the fruit are cut in basket shapes, and when the luncheon is ready, the frozen fruit is heaped in these.

The salad is made by putting cooked sweetbreads in melted beef extract which has been seasoned and had sufficient gelatine added to set it; it is to be put in small moulds and turned out on lettuce with a spoonful of mayonnaise by each. If a simpler salad is wished, one that is surprisingly good is made by putting cold cooked string beans on lettuce, sprinkling with French dressing and serving with mayonnaise.

The wine jelly, while still warm, is to be poured over bits of candied fruit laid in a ring mould. When served, the centre is filled with whipped cream and candied fruit scattered over all.

AN AUTHORS' LUNCHEON

This luncheon is not intended to be eaten by authors, though they are not necessarily barred from participating in it, but it is arranged for some group of clever women who are sufficiently well read to enter into a guessing contest with interest in the books and authors named; or a girls' club may enjoy a trial of their literary knowledge. The luncheon is capable of infinite variation, and any one with a catalogue of books can alter it to suit the requirements of any especial occasion.

Cards should lie at each place with the menu written out as in the first one printed below, with the names of the authors omitted, and before each course, or while one is eaten the next dish is to be guessed, and the author named. A prize might be offered for the most numerous guesses which are correct. The hostess would do well to have the key to the menu by her plate.

The table decorations may be of an ordinary character, such as a bunch of roses in the middle, or a vase of asters or chrysanthemums, and the usual pretty doilies and odd dishes about, or, if laurel is to be had, either the flowers or the leaves may be used to suggest the crowning of genius.

1. Toilers of the Sea. (VICTOR HUGO.) 2. A Study in Scarlet. (DOYLE.) 3. The Water Babies. (Kingsley.) 4. Between Whiles. (HELEN HUNT JACKSON.) 5. The Lay of the Last Minstrel. (SCOTT.) 6. A Dead Secret (WILKIE COLLINS); and Plain Tales from the Hills. (KIPLING.) 7. The Desert of Ice. (JULES VERNE.) 8. Leaves of Grass (WALT WHITMAN); and Unleavened Bread. (GRANT.) 9. The Snow Image. (HAWTHORNE.) 10. Over the Teacups. (HOLMES.) 11. Opening of a Chestnut Burr. (ROE.) 12. All's Well that Ends Well. (SHAKESPEARE.)

The culinary key to the luncheon is this:--

1. OYSTERS. 2. TOMATO SOUP. 3. SMELTS WITH SAUCE TARTARE. 4. ALMONDS. RADISHES. CELERY. 5. EGGS IN RAMEKINS. 6. CHICKEN CHARTREUSE AND POTATOES. 7. PEACH SHERBET. 8. SHREDDED LETTUCE AND CRACKERS. 9. ICE CREAM IN FORMS. 10. TEA. 11. and 12. MARRONS AND BONBONS.

The eggs are prepared by cutting up those that have been hard boiled, seasoning them well, covering with white sauce, putting in individual baking dishes, covering with grated cheese, and browning. The chicken is minced, seasoned with salt, pepper, and a little sherry or stewed tomato, and put in a melon mould which has been buttered and lined with an inch thickness of boiled rice; then the mould is steamed for three quarters of an hour, and when done the whole is turned out on a round platter, and a tomato sauce is poured around it.

The salad is made by cutting a head of lettuce across with the scissors until leaves of grass result; mayonnaise is to be passed with this.

The ice cream is to be in forms of any sort, but the figure of a man is the most appropriate.

This luncheon may be changed from a gastronomic to a literary guessing game, either by furnishing the guests with a copy of the titles of the books without the authors, making them guess both the writer and the dish which is represented, or by furnishing the actual menu and asking the guests to give a title of a book which will suitably represent the course. In order to give opportunity for some choice in this luncheon, a slightly altered menu is also given:--

Toilers of the Sea. A Study in Scarlet. The Water Babies. Between Whiles. A Dead Secret, and Plain Tales from the Hills. The Desert of Ice. Wing and Wing. Leaves of Grass, and Unleavened Bread. The Snow Image. Over the Teacups. All's well that Ends Well.

"Wing and Wing" is by Cooper, as doubtless your guests will know, and may be represented by a course of game, either pigeons or duckling.

November

The principal gala day of this month is toward the last, the historic gala day of our forefathers, Thanksgiving; still, it is quite proper to have a luncheon at any time during the month which shall have the characteristics of the time.

A THANKSGIVING LUNCHEON

should remind us of the dress and food of our ancestors, but all of their austerity and asceticism may go without mention; we do not take kindly to these things in our days of luxury and ease. Have your guest-cards bear a sketch of a Puritan girl, or a man in a tall pointed hat and long cloak with a gun over his shoulder, or some other suggestion of Colonial times. Have your menu made up largely of dishes said to have been used at the first Thanksgiving Day meal, judiciously combined with every-day delicacies which are more warmly approved by this generation. Let your bonbons be in the shape of candy vegetables; they are odd, and wonderfully accurate, and are to be had in the form of radishes, carrots, potatoes, turnips, beets, and almost everything else; and buy favours in the shape of miniature roasted turkeys. Chrysanthemums are the flower of November, and they are beautiful in any shade, but yellow is the most brilliant, and a mass of this splendid color in the centre of the table will make it attractive. If you use candles, have them of yellow, with paper shades of chrysanthemums.

The Puritans are said to have dined on oysters, clams, turkey, succotash, and game, and all these things must be in the menu:--

OYSTERS ON THE HALF-SHELL. CREAM OF CELERY SOUP. CLAMS NEWBURGH. ROAST TURKEY BREAST IN SLICES. CURRANT JELLY. SUCCOTASH IN CASES. POTATO. CRANBERRY SHERBET. SCALLOP SALAD. OLIVES. BROWN BREAD AND BUTTER. INDIVIDUAL MINCE PIES. CHEESE. VANILLA ICE CREAM WITH HOT CHOCOLATE SAUCE. COFFEE.

The salad is made by scalding a pint of scallops, draining them and serving on lettuce with a sprinkling of chopped parsley and a French dressing. The mince-pies may be omitted if they seem too heavy for luncheon, but if you fancy this reminder of a real Thanksgiving meal, have them made in small round tins about four inches across, and have the pie-crust as delicate as possible. The hot sauce to serve with the ice cream is made by boiling a pint of water with half a pint of sugar until it hardens in water, and then adding two tablespoonfuls of grated chocolate dissolved in three tablespoonfuls of boiling water, and boiling again until it crisps in water; add vanilla and serve at once. In the place of both the pie and this cream, you may have a sort of combination of both, which might be called mince-pie ice cream, made by adding chopped raisins, spice, and a dash of wine to a rich chocolate ice cream; the slices look and taste like fruit cake, and served with whipped cream are delicious.

A CARMEN LUNCHEON

In cities the opera season begins earlier than it did formerly, and this suggests an operatic luncheon, either one served just before a matinee, or given by way of something new, without regard to times and seasons. Almost any opera gives scope for decorations and cards in keeping with the idea of its story, but perhaps Carmen is the most distinctive. For this, your cards should bear a bar of music,--the famous and easily recognized "Toreador" song is the best,--or else a sketch of some scene from the stage. If you can find paper fans with the pictures of bull-fights, such as are to be had at times in our shops, these are certainly appropriate as souvenirs.

The decorations must be in the Spanish colours, scarlet and yellow, and carnations will give the best results; if you fancy having a corsage bouquet for each guest these may be of alternate colours, yellow tied with red and red tied with yellow, with the flowers in the centre of the table of the two. The bonbons may be of scarlet and yellow also. Here is a Spanish menu:--

ORANGES. RED BEAN SOUP. BROILED FISH WITH TOMATO SAUCE. SPAGHETTI WITH CHEESE. SPANISH CHICKEN. LYONNAISE POTATOES. OLIVE SALAD. STUFFED CAKE. COFFEE.

The soup is made of strong stock with red beans, and seasoning in this way: a little onion and garlic are browned in a deep kettle with a spoonful of lard and a pinch of thyme; a stock is poured over this, and two cupfuls of red beans which have been cooked until they are soft are added; the whole is put through a sieve and poured over croutons just before serving.

Any fish will do for the third course, but bluefish is the best; after it is cooked it is cut in pieces ready to serve, and then a rich tomato sauce is poured over each piece. The chicken is really delicious. A tender fowl is chosen, jointed, and put on to stew. A dozen dry red peppers are cut up and boiled, after the seeds have been removed; they are then moistened with a little chicken broth and put through a sieve; one green pepper and two sliced onions are fried in a little lard, the peppers and chicken added, and the whole covered with the thickened gravy and simmered for fifteen minutes before serving.

The salad is one of the commonest Spanish dishes. To make it, take a cup of dice made of stale bread, sprinkle with bits of red peppers, add a cup of stoned olives, cut up, and half a cup of chopped cucumber pickles; mix the whole with mayonnaise and serve on lettuce cut in strips; pass a strong cheese with it. The stuffed cake is also a dish frequently seen in Spain. A large sponge cake is soaked in mild sherry, stuck full of blanched almonds and stoned raisins, and eaten with a rich boiled custard poured over it.

A HORSE-SHOW LUNCHEON

In New York the horse show is the great November event; perhaps in other cities there is something corresponding to it, and certainly in small places there is a great interest taken in the County Fair, which comes somewhat earlier in the fall. For any day when a number of friends are to visit a place where the horse is the hero, a luncheon may precede the hour. A large floral horse-shoe may be the decoration of the table, or one may be suspended over the table and the flowers may be of the same variety in the centrepiece, but arranged with more grace. The guest cards may bear a sketch of a horse, or of a horse-shoe, or a whip or some similar device, and the favours may be of the same character, in the shape of little silver pins; or, if the luncheon is sufficiently informal to warrant it, these favours may be chocolate horses, standing at each plate.

CLAMS ON THE HALF-SHELL. CREAM OF LIMA BEAN SOUP. CREAMED SCALLOPS IN RAMEKINS. CHICKEN IN GREEN PEPPERS. BREADED CHOPS WITH TOMATO SAUCE. POTATOES AU GRATIN. HOT ROLLS. LOBSTER SALAD. Cheese Straws. ICE CREAM WITH MAPLE SAUCE. COFFEE.

The chicken in the peppers is to be ordinary minced white meat, with sufficient white sauce to make it palatable; if it is too wet it will not be good. It is put in raw peppers from which the ends have been cut, and the seeds removed, and the whole thoroughly heated in the oven. The potatoes are baked and served in their own shells after they have been scooped out and seasoned, and cut in half, with grated cheese over them. The ice cream is a rich French cream made with eggs, and the sauce is hot maple syrup with English walnuts broken in pieces in it; it is one of the most delicious of desserts, well worth being used in place of any of the suggested creams at any luncheon during the year.

AN INDIAN LUNCHEON

Boys are supposed to scorn luncheon as a purely feminine meal and one which is necessarily frivolous; nevertheless there are occasions when a boy is interested in entertaining his friends at luncheon, perhaps before going to see a football game, or some such athletic contest, and then a meal with Indian accessories will delight him.