The Pattern cook-book

There are many other ways of preparing this salad. A simple plan is to peel the tomatoes, lay them on the ice to thoroughly chill, cut them in rather thick slices, lay the slices in a salad bowl or on a flat dish, and pour the mayonnaise over all, using no lettuce at all. Serve a slice to each one at table. The tomatoes may also be peeled, chilled, cut in halves and set in a nest of lettuce leaves, the dressing being poured over them and one-half served SALADS. • 303 to each person. The last method is very convenient when the tomatoes are too large to serve one to each person. POTATO SALAD. There is no salad in which there is such an opportunity for a variety of combinations as in this. New potatoes or the German potatoes are the best for the purpose ; a ripe, mealy potato breaks into crumbs and spoils the dish. When new or German potatoes are not obtainable, do not boil the potatoes quite so long as for other purposes, thus leaving them underdone ; they can then be cut in any desired shape. The simplest potato salad is made by slicing the potatoes rather thinly, arranging a layer in the salad dish and covering lightly with any dressing preferred ; arrange another layer of potatoes and dressing, and so continue until all the potatoes are used ; then serve. Potatoes and beets are often used together. Cut them in half-inch dice or in thin slices, and season with salt and pepper. Rub the yolk of a hard-boiled egg through a sieve, and chop some parsley rather coarsely. Arrange in the salad bowl alternate layers of potatoes, beets, &gg, parsley and dressing, until all the ingredients are used, reserving quite a goodly portion of the dressing for the top layer, and placing egg and parsley on top of the dressing. Or place the potatoes, parsley and egg in the center of the dish and a circle of beets and lettuce around the edge ; and pour the salad dressing over the whole. Onions, thinly sliced and sparingly used are often arranged in alternate layers with the potato. Many professional cooks prefer to mix a potato salad while the po- tatoes are hot, as it looks more appetizing, will keep longer and has less of the peculiar soggy taste than when made with cold potatoes. LETTUCE SALAD. Choose for this the crisp part of the lettuce, lay it in cold water for an hour, dry well, and arrange it in a salad bowl. Pour over the center of the dish any of the dressings given ; mayonnaise is most generally used, but after a heavy dinner the French dressing is much to be preferred to any other. The following vegetables may be used the same as lettuce : Endive. Water-cress. Sorrel. Pepper-grass. Nasturtium Blossoms. Dandelion. CREAM CABBAGE SALAD. Chop the cabbage fine. Put in a saucepan enough cream to nearly cover the cabbage, and add to it One egg, well beaten. _ A pinch of red pepper or mustard. One table-spoonful of vinegar. A little salt. Stir constantly until the milk thickens, remove from the fire, and when cool, pour the liquid over the cabbage, mixing it well in. Let the salad stand an hour before serving. If there is no cream at hand, use milk, with a generous spoonful of butter to make it rich enough. CABBAGE SALAD. Two table-spoonfuls of vinegar. One egg (yolk only). One and a-half pint of chopped cabbage. One tea-spoonful of corn-starch.