Part 4

Peel the required number of bananas, scrape the pithy material from their surface, and cut in half lengthwise. Grind the peanuts rather fine and roll each half of banana in them. Place on a garnished salad plate and serve with boiled dressing.

82. FRUIT IN CANTALOUPE SHELLS.--During cantaloupe season, a delightful fruit salad can be made by combining several different kinds of fruit with the meat of cantaloupe and serving the mixture in the cantaloupe shells. Such a salad is an excellent one to serve when dainty refreshments are desired or when something unusual is wanted for a nice luncheon.

Cut cantaloupes in half crosswise, and, using the French cutter, cut some of the meat into round balls. Dice the remainder and mix with any combination of fruit desired. Place this in the cantaloupe shells after cutting points in the top edge. Garnish with the balls cut from the cantaloupe and serve with any desired dressing.

83. PINEAPPLE-AND-NUT SALAD.--Because of its refreshing flavor, pineapple makes a delicious salad. It may be combined with various foods, but is very good when merely nuts and salad dressing are used, as in the accompanying recipe.

Place slices of canned pineapple on salad plates garnished with lettuce leaves. Mix whipped cream with salad dressing until the dressing becomes stiff, and place a spoonful or two of this in the center of each slice of pineapple. Sprinkle generously with chopped nuts, English walnuts or pecans being preferable.

HIGH-PROTEIN SALADS

84. Salads that are made with cheese, eggs, fish, or meat may be classed as HIGH-PROTEIN SALADS, for, as has already been learned, these foods are characterized by the protein they contain. Of course, those made almost entirely of meat or fish are higher in this food substance than the others. However, the salads that contain a combination of cheese and fruit are comparatively high in protein, and at the same time they supply to the diet what is desirable in the way of a fruit salad.

85. POINSETTIA SALAD--Cream cheese, such as Neufchâtel or Philadelphia cream cheese, combines very well with some fruits and vegetables. It is used with pineapple and cherries in the preparation of poinsettia salad, which is illustrated in Fig. 11. As can be imagined, this makes a pretty decoration for a Christmas table or a salad to be served around holiday time.

POINSETTIA SALAD (Sufficient to Serve Six)

1 pkg. cream cheese Lettuce 2 Tb. cream 4 maraschino cherries 1/4 tsp. salt Salad dressing 6 rounds pineapple

Mix the cream cheese with the cream and salt, and form this into small round balls with the fingers. Place the rounds of pineapple on salad plates garnished with lettuce, and put the cheese ball in the center of the pineapple. Cut the maraschino cherries in half, and then cut each half into narrow strips that resemble petals of a flower. Place five or six of these over the top of the cream cheese with the points meeting in the center, as shown in the illustration. Serve with any desired dressing, but instead of adding the dressing to the salad put it in a mayonnaise bowl and allow each person at the table to add it.

SALADS AND SANDWICHES

86. PEACH-AND-CREAM-CHEESE SALAD--An excellent way of using canned peaches is to combine them with cream cheese for a salad, as shown in Fig. 12. If a smaller salad is desired, half a peach may be used and the cheese placed on top of it. Firm yellow peaches are the best ones to use for this dish.

PEACH-AND-CREAM-CHEESE SALAD (Sufficient to Serve Four)

Lettuce Salad dressing 8 halves of pecans or walnuts 2 Tb. cream 1/4 tsp. salt 1 pkg. Cream cheese 8 halves canned peaches

Mix the cream and salt with the cheese and shape into balls. Place a ball between two peach halves, and press them together tightly. Place on garnished salad plates, pour salad dressing over the top, and garnish with two halves of the nuts. If desired, the nuts may be chopped and sprinkled over the top.

87. PEAR-AND-CHEESE SALAD--If other fruits are not in supply for use in salad and pears can be obtained, they may be utilized with cream cheese in a pleasing way, as Fig. 13 shows.

PEAR-AND-CHEESE SALAD (Sufficient to Serve Four)

2 Tb. cream Lettuce 1/4 tsp. salt 4 halves English walnuts 1 pkg. cream cheese Salad dressing 8 halves canned pears

Mix the cream and salt with the cheese and shape into balls. Place one-half of a pear with the hollow side up on a salad plate garnished with a lettuce leaf and the other half with the hollow side down beside it. Put a ball of the cheese in the hollow of the upturned half and press half an English walnut on top of that. Add the dressing and serve. French dressing is recommended for this salad, but some other salad dressing will answer.

88. Green-Pepper-and-Cheese Salad.-In Fig. 14 is shown a vegetable-and-cheese combination in the form of a salad made of green pepper and cheese. To make this kind of salad, select firm green peppers, one being sufficient if a large one can be obtained. Season cream cheese well with paprika and a little additional salt if necessary. Cut the top from the pepper, clean out the inside, and pack tight with the cheese. Cut the filled pepper into thin slices, place two or three of these slices on a salad plate garnished with lettuce leaves, and serve with French dressing.

89. DAISY SALAD.--If an effective, somewhat ornamental salad is desired, daisy salad, which is illustrated in Fig. 15, will prove satisfactory. As will be observed, this salad resembles a daisy. To make it, cut celery into strips about 2 inches long and trim one end of each round. These strips will serve to represent the daisy petals. Place them on salad plates garnished with lettuce, laying them so that they radiate from the center and their round ends are toward the outside of the plate. Then, for the center of the daisy effect, cut the yolks of hard-cooked eggs into halves and place one half, with the rounded side up, on the ends of the celery. Serve with French dressing.

90. HUMPTY DUMPTY SALAD.--In Fig. 16 is shown an attractive-appearing and extremely appetizing salad known as Humpty Dumpty salad. It consists of tomatoes and hard-cooked eggs garnished with pieces of stuffed olives, the manner in which the egg is placed in each portion accounting for its name.

For this salad, select rather small, firm, ripe tomatoes. Peel them in the usual way, and when cutting out the stem remove a sufficient portion of the tomato to accommodate the end of an egg. Place each tomato with this part uppermost on a salad plate garnished with lettuce. Cut the hard-cooked eggs into halves, crosswise, remove the yolk and mash and season it with salt, pepper, and a little vinegar. Replace the yolk in the white and force this into the depression in the tomato. Place a stuffed olive in the egg yolk and serve with French or other desired salad dressing.

91. WATER-LILY SALAD.--A means of using eggs in salad without the addition of other foods is found in water-lily salad, which is illustrated in Fig. 17. If eggs are to be served for a luncheon or some other light meal, this method may add a little variety to the usual ways of serving them.

Hard-cook one egg for each person to be served, remove the shells, and cut the eggs into halves, lengthwise. Remove the yolks, mash them, and season with salt, pepper, and vinegar. Cut the halves of egg whites into three or four pointed pieces, cutting from end to end of the half. Place these in a star shape on salad plates garnished with lettuce. Form the seasoned egg yolk into a ball and place it in the center over the ends of the egg whites. Serve with any desired salad dressing.

92. EASTER SALAD.--Cream cheese makes an attractive salad when formed into egg-shaped balls and served in a nest of shredded lettuce. To prepare this salad, which is known as Easter salad, shred lettuce finely and place it in the shape of a nest on salad plates. Make tiny egg-shaped balls of cream cheese moistened with sufficient cream to handle. Place three or four of these in the inside of the lettuce. Dust with paprika and serve with any desired dressing.

93. SALMON SALAD.--Persons who are fond of salmon will find salmon salad a very agreeable dish. In addition to affording a means of varying the diet, this salad makes a comparatively cheap high-protein dish that is suitable for either supper or luncheon.

SALMON SALAD (Sufficient to Serve Six)

2 c. salmon 1 c. diced celery 1/4 c. diced Spanish onion 3 or 4 sweet pickles, chopped fine French dressing Salad dressing Lettuce

Look the salmon over carefully, removing any skin and bones. Break into medium-sized pieces and mix carefully with the celery, onion, and chopped pickles. Marinate this with the French dressing, taking care not to break up the salmon. Drain and serve with any desired salad dressing on salad plates garnished with lettuce.

94. TUNA-FISH SALAD.--A salad that is both attractive and appetizing can be made by using tuna fish as a foundation. This fish, which is grayish-white in color, can be obtained in cans like salmon. As it is not high in price, it gives the housewife another opportunity to provide her family with an inexpensive protein dish.

TUNA-FISH SALAD (Sufficient to Serve Six)

1 c. tuna fish 1/2 c. diced celery 1 c. diced cucumber Salt and pepper Vinegar Lettuce Mayonnaise

Open a can of tuna fish, measure 1 cupful, and place in a bowl. Dice the celery and cucumber, mix with the fish, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Dilute some vinegar with water, using half as much water as vinegar, and sprinkle enough of this over the mixture to flavor it slightly. Allow the mixture to stand for about 1/2 hour in a refrigerator or some other cold place and just before serving pour off this liquid. Heap the salad on lettuce leaves, pour a spoonful of mayonnaise over each portion, and serve.

95. LOBSTER OR CRAB SALAD.--Lobster salad and crab salad are made in practically the same way, so that a recipe for one may be used for the other. The meat may be either fresh or canned, but, of course, fresh lobster or crab meat is more desirable if it can be obtained.

LOBSTER OR CRAB SALAD (Sufficient to Serve Six)

2 c. lobster or crab meat 1 c. diced celery French dressing Lettuce Mayonnaise 1 hard-cooked egg

Chill lobster or crab meat and add the diced celery. Marinate with French dressing, and allow this mixture to stand for 1/2 hour or so before serving. Keep as cold as possible. Drain off the French dressing and heap the salad mixture on garnished salad plates or in a salad bowl garnished with lettuce. Pour mayonnaise dressing over the top, garnish with slices of hard-cooked egg, and serve.

96. SHRIMP SALAD.--Shrimps may be used in an attractive salad in the manner shown in Fig. 18. Persons who care for sea food find this a most appetizing dish. Like lobster and crab, shrimp may be purchased in cans, and so it is possible to have this salad at any season.

First marinate the shrimps with French dressing and then heap them on a plate garnished with lettuce leaves. Add thin slices of hard-cooked egg whites, and place a tender heart of celery in the center of the plate. If desired, some thin slices of celery may be marinated with the shrimp. Serve with mayonnaise dressing.

97. CHICKEN SALAD.--A favored means of using left-over chicken is to make chicken salad of it. It is well, however, if the chicken can be prepared especially for the salad and the nicer pieces of meat used. This is usually done when chicken salad is to be served at a party or special dinner. If the chicken is scarce, veal or pork may be substituted for one-third or one-fourth of the meat.

CHICKEN SALAD (Sufficient to Serve Six)

2 c. chicken 1 c. diced celery 1 green pepper French dressing Lettuce Mayonnaise 1 pimiento

Cut the meat from the bones of a chicken and dice it. Dice the celery, clean the green pepper, and cut it into small pieces. Mix the pepper and the celery with the chicken. Marinate with French dressing, chill, and allow to stand for about 1/2 hour. Drain the dressing from the salad mixture, serve in a garnished salad bowl or on garnished salad plates, pour mayonnaise over the top, and garnish with strips of pimiento.

98. STUFFED CELERY.--An appetizing relish may be prepared by stuffing celery in the manner shown in Fig. 19. Stuffed celery is not exactly a salad, but it may be used to take the place of a salad in a meal. It is often served with soup as an appetizer, but since it is high in food value it deserves a place of greater prominence in the meal. Any desirable cheese may be used to make the stuffing. Roquefort cheese is probably the most popular one, but many persons do not care for it. Cream cheese, ordinary American cheese, or even cottage cheese finely mashed may be used for this purpose.

Put into a bowl the quantity of cheese needed to fill the number of stalks of celery desired, mash it finely with a fork, and mix it with cream or salad dressing until it is of a thick, creamy consistency. Season highly with a dash of red pepper and salt and, if desired, mix with very finely chopped nuts. Fill the hollows of the stems of celery with the mixture, sprinkle with paprika, and serve on a plate garnished with lettuce.

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SANDWICHES

NATURE OF SANDWICHES

99. When salads are mentioned, Sandwiches naturally come to the mind, for while they have many other uses, they are often served as an accompaniment to a salad. Sandwiches are generally thought of as two thin slices of bread put together with a filling, such as meat, cheese, fruit, etc. However, there are as many varieties of sandwiches as of salads and they serve a large number of purposes. For instance, they may be merely two pieces of buttered bread put together or they may be elaborate both as to shape and contents. In reality, many different things are considered as sandwiches. Sometimes one piece of bread spread with a filling and usually decorated in some way is served with afternoon tea or a very light luncheon. Then, again, sandwiches often consist of three layers of bread instead of two, and for other kinds the bread is toasted instead of being used plain.

As in the case of salads, the housewife must determine from their composition, the place that sandwiches should take in the meal, for their food value depends on what is used with the bread. A sandwich that is high in food value may be used as the main dish in a light meal, while one that is comparatively low in this respect generally accompanies another dish, as, for instance, a salad, or is used to take the place of plain bread.

GENERAL PRINCIPLES OF SANDWICH MAKING

100. BREAD FOR SANDWICHES.--Although sandwiches vary greatly in both form and contents, bread or something that may be substituted for it always forms the foundation of this class of food. White bread is much employed for this purpose, but rye, graham, brown, or whole-wheat bread, or in fact any other desirable kind, may be used, depending on the nature of the sandwich or the kind preferred. Several matters concerning the bread that is used, however, should receive attention if successful sandwiches are to be the result.

101. In the first place, the bread used should be at least 24 hours old, as difficulty will be experienced in cutting bread that is any fresher. Another requirement is that the bread should be firm and of a comparatively fine texture. The shape of the loaf must also be taken into consideration. As is easily understood, there will be a considerable waste of bread if a round sandwich is made from a square loaf or a square sandwich is cut from a round loaf. When round sandwiches are desired, it is advisable to bake the bread in round loaves, unless some good use can be made of the bread that is trimmed off in cutting the sandwiches.

102. For sandwich making, bakers often sell special sandwich bread. Some persons prefer sandwiches made of such bread, but, as a rule, it will be found easier to use the ordinary bread baked by the baker or bread that is baked in the home for this purpose. When bread is being made for sandwiches, a good plan is to give the dough a little additional kneading and, toward the end of the kneading, to work in a small amount of flour, perhaps a little extra sugar, and, if desired, an egg. Then, if it is not allowed to rise as much as usual, it will make a bread that is finer in texture and easier to handle.

103. UTENSILS FOR SANDWICH MAKING.--Very few utensils are required for the making of sandwiches, but those which are used must be of the right kind if well-made sandwiches are desired. To cut the bread, a large sharp knife must be used, for, generally, the bread is required to be cut thin and this cannot be done successfully unless the knife is sufficiently sharp. In addition, a case knife or a small spatula is needed for the spreading of the bread. If sandwiches in any quantity are to be spread with a filling besides butter, two case knives or a case knife and a spatula should be provided.

104. MAKING SANDWICHES.--The point that should be remembered about sandwiches is that they should be as dainty as possible. Therefore, the [Illustration: Fig 21] bread should usually be cut thin and the crust should be removed. If a large number of sandwiches are to be made, it is often a good idea to remove the crust from the loaf, as shown in Fig. 20, before slicing the bread. More frequently, however, the cutting is done first, as in Fig. 21. Then after the bread is spread, the crust is removed from a pile of slices at a time. A little difficulty will be experienced in making sandwiches unless care is taken in matching the slices. After being cut, they should be laid out in pairs with corresponding sides together, so that when they are spread two pieces that do not fit will not have to be put together.

The plan of spreading the end of the loaf and then slicing off the piece that is spread is sometimes advocated, but it is not recommended, for it has no special advantage and then, too, the bread is difficult to handle after it has been spread.

105. No matter what kind of filling is to be used for sandwiches, the slices are usually buttered before the filling is applied. To make the butter soft enough to spread easily, it should be creamed with a spoon, as shown in Fig. 22, but it should never be melted. With the bread sliced and the butter creamed, one of a pair of slices should be spread with butter, as in Fig. 23, and the other with filling, and then the two slices should be put together. After a number of sandwiches have been made, they should be placed on top of one another and, as shown in Fig. 24, the crusts should be cut from a small pile at one time.

Sometimes, if sandwiches are being made in quantity, the butter is worked into the filling instead of being spread on the bread. As this plan saves time and does not detract from the food value of the sandwich, it may be followed whenever it seems advisable.

106. Variety can be obtained from time to time in the shapes of sandwiches by cutting the bread in different ways. For instance, one time it may be cut into strips lengthwise, another time into halves crosswise, and again, diagonally, so as to form triangular pieces. To vary the sandwich filling, a lettuce leaf may be placed on the buttered slice of the bread and the slice containing the filling put on top of this. Lettuce used in this way makes a delightful addition to cheese, meat, egg, or vegetable sandwiches.

107. It is often necessary to make sandwiches some time before they are to be served. In such an event, they should be kept moistened so that they will be fresh when they are served. To accomplish this, they may be wrapped first in oiled paper and then in a damp towel, or if oiled paper is not in supply, the towel alone will answer the purpose, provided it is not made too damp and a dry towel is wrapped on the outside.

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PREPARATION OF SANDWICHES

BREAD-AND-BUTTER SANDWICHES

108. Often it is desired to serve bread and butter with a certain dish and yet something more is wanted than just two pieces of bread spread with butter and put together. While bread-and-butter sandwiches are probably the simplest kind that can be made, variety can be obtained in them if the housewife will exercise a little ingenuity. Fig. 25 shows what can be done in the way of bread-and-butter sandwiches with very little effort, for the two plates on the left contain sandwiches made merely of bread and butter.

109. ROUND SANDWICHES.--The round sandwiches on the rear left plate in Fig. 25 can be made of brown bread or of white bread, or both varieties may be served in the event that some one does not care for brown bread. To make these, cut slices of bread from a loaf and, by means of a round cutter, cut them round in shape. Out of the top slice of each sandwich, cut a round hole with a small round cutter or a thimble. After spreading both slices with butter and placing them together, cut a thick slice from a stuffed olive and insert this in the hole in the top slice.

110. RIBBON SANDWICHES.--The sandwiches on the plate in front in Fig. 25 are known as ribbon sandwiches. To make these, cut white bread and graham bread in very thin slices, butter them, and then alternate a slice of white with a slice of graham until there are three or four layers. Place the pile under a weight until the butter becomes hard and then cut down in thin slices. The attractive sandwiches here shown will be the result.

111. CHECKERBOARD SANDWICHES.--Another way of serving bread and butter is in the form of checkerboard sandwiches. These are no more difficult to make than the ribbon sandwiches, but the slices of the bread must be cut evenly and all must be of the same thickness. In addition, the bread should be firm and close-grained and the butter should be put on thickly enough to make the slices of bread stick together. Cut three slices each of graham bread and white bread 1/2 inch in thickness. Spread one side of each slice thickly with butter. Place a slice of graham between two slices of white bread and a slice of white between two slices of graham. Trim these piles evenly and cut them into 1/2-inch slices. Butter these slices and put them together so that brown bread will alternate with white and white with brown. Place the slices under a weight in a cool place until the butter becomes perfectly hard. Then cut them into thin slices for serving and they will be found to resemble a checkerboard.

VEGETABLE SANDWICHES

112. Certain vegetables may be used with bread and butter to make very appetizing sandwiches. The vegetables most often used for this purpose are lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, celery, and onions. Generally, when vegetables are to be used for sandwich filling, the sandwiches should be made immediately before they are to be served, as they are apt to become moist if they are allowed to stand very long. An exception to this is celery sandwiches, which are made in the form of rolls and which must stand piled close together for some time in order for the butter to become hard enough to stick them together.

113. LETTUCE SANDWICHES.--Cut white bread into slices about 1/4 inch thick and spread these thinly with butter. Place a leaf or two of tender lettuce between each two slices and spread with thick salad dressing. Put the slices of bread together, trim off the edges of the lettuce and the crusts if desired, and serve.