The home cook book

A mild cream dressing adds a relishing finish to vegetable salads and is preferred by many persons to a more piquant one. To make it, heat one cup of cream almost to boiling ; stir in one teaspoon of flour, wet up with a little cold milk or water ; boil two minutes, stirring constantly ; add two tablespoons of powdered sugar, stir well, then take off the fire. When half cold, beat in the whipped whites of two eggs; set on ice until quite cold; then season with one teaspoon of salt, half as much black pepper, and a small quantity of prepared mustard. Beat the whole thoroughly ; then whip in two tablespoons of salad oil or soft butter. Just before pouring the dressing over the salad add, gradually, three tablespoons of vinegar. Unless salads are mixed at table — which is often done when the French dressing is used — they present a more inviting appearance if arranged at once for individual serving instead of being dished the second time. Next in importance to the making of a salad ranks its garnishings. How a dish looks exerts a wonderful influence upon the appetite. For this purpose one may use fringed celery stalks, fresh lettuce leaves, hard-boiled eggs, blood beets (boiled, then cut into various shapes), nasturtiums, powdered tarragon leaves, and the kernels of English walnuts. SOUR CREAM DRESSING To a cup of fresh sour cream allow a tablespoon of lemonjuice. Add to the juice, salt, cayenne pepper, and dry mustard to your taste. Stir these four ingredients together and then beat into the cup of cream till the cream puffs. Pour over the cold salad green and serve at once. FRENCH DRESSING Select a small bowl for the table, put into it one saltspoon of salt, a dash of pepper, a little dry mustard, and one saltspoon of sugar. To this add, gradually, a tablespoon of olive oil, stirring, to dissolve the ingredients. Stir smooth, and add two more tablespoons of olive oil, and one tablespoon of vinegar. Red pepper can be used if preferred, also more seasoning, if the taste requires. HORSERADISH DRESSING Mix three tablespoons of fresh grated horseradish with a tablespoon of vinegar or of lemon- juice and a pinch of salt. Then stir in three tablespoons of whipped cream and a dash of cayenne. MAYONNAISE DRESSING Take two ice-cold eggs and separate the yolks from the whites. Into the yolks stir a third of a teaspoon of salt and a dash of pepper, and, drop by drop, olive oil, stirring continu- onsly. You have now a thick mass ; add a few drops of lemonjuice or vinegar, and stir ; then oil again and stir, then lemonjuice or vinegar, till you have the quantity and consistency you wish. If it is to your taste, add onion-juice or half a teaspoon of made mustard, or a drop or two of mint. The lemonjuice or vinegar is the thinning ingredient, and constant stirring is essential to successful making of the dressing. Set on the ice, and just before serving add a tablespoon of whipped or plain thick cream. The yolk of a hard-boiled egg may also be beaten in with the cream. To make the yolk smooth rub it first through a sieve, and then stir into the dressing. This dressing is dropped with a small spoon on peeled tomatoes, lettuce, asparagus, chicken, and is a heartier salad dressing than French dressing.