The household gas cookery book

Chicory, watercress, or radishes, so rich themselves in pungency, require no blending of mustard, cayenne or tabasco, therefore it is always advisable in using condiments to take into consideration the special green meat which is going to be utilised. Garlic is especially dangerous in unskilled hands. There are many materials used for salads which require preparation some time before using them, to render them as tender as possible — such as corn salad, curled endive, dandelion, endive, or chicory, and all such in which the bitter element is prominent. After the dressing has been put on the materials, it is advisable to press them with a fork and spoon, to Cause the leaves absorb as much as possible, and the difference between a perfect salad and one that has tailed is often due to inattention to the details, as well as an insufficient mixing. Parsley, celery, onions, chives, or any other herbs which are intended for use must be chopped and added at the last moment. The bowl should be large enough to allow the mixing to be done well, and all ingredients must be thoroughly dried. The mission of a salad is to correct the too-liberal ingestion of rich and fatty substances, and to stimulate the taste when the appetite has begun to flag. Absolute directions for the compounding of a salad is impossible, as some require more salt and oil, and others more vinegar, pepper, herbs, or condiments. The pounded yolk of an egg, or mustard or red pepper, or mashed potatoes, may be used to advantage in some cases, and to the detriment of others. Celery Salad.-Take the inner and tenderest stalks of three heads of celery, cut them into strips an inch long and the thickness of young French beans. Rub I3» the salad bowl slightly with shallot. Mix the yolks of two hard-boiled eggs with three tablespoonfuls of salad oil, one dessertspoonful of tarragon vinegar, a little flour of mustard, pepper and salt to taste. Add the celery to this sauce, turn it well over, and garnish with the hard-boiled whites of eggs. A Delicate Tomato Salad.— Put some tomatoes into scalding water for a minute until the skin is easily removed ; when cool cut into slices and squeeze the juice of a good lemon over them. Many prefer this to the ordinary way of dressing raw tomatoes with vinegar, oil and mustard. The Spanish proverb says four persons are wanted to make a good salad, viz. : — A spendthrift for oil. A miser for vinegar. A counsellor for salt. A madman to stir it all up. Italian Chicken Salad. — Take three hard-boiled eggs and pound the yolks very fine, with equal quantities of paprika and mustard, a pinch of powdered sugar, two tablespoonfuls of vinegar, and four table¬ spoonfuls of oil. Separate the white meat of two chickens into flakes. Pile it on a dish and pour the dressing over it. Arrange around the chicken two lettuces cut up, with the white of one egg cut into rings and placed so as to form a chain on the top of the lettuce.