Now to ornament it. First pick out about a dozen
of the brightest-looking capers, and stick them lightly
over the sauce. They will stick easily without being
in the least pushed in. Next pick out about a dozen
and a half pieces of the chopped parsley, each piece
about the size of a pin’s head, and drop these over it
to give it a slight speckled appearance. Next take
the beetroot, which of course is supposed to have
been boiled and got cold, and cut it into small strips
about an inch long, and as thick as a wooden lucifer
match split into four, and with these strips form a
trellis-work of beetroot round the edge of the salade
where the sauce joins the lettuce, so that the bottom
of each strip just touches the lettuce, but the strip
To Make Dim ms Look Nice. 65
itself rests on the sauce. The contrast between the
red trellis and the white sauce has a very pretty effect.
Next cut the egg into quarters lengthways, and [dace
the pieces round the edge at equal distances, arid
put the olives and anchovies at equal distances be-
tween them ; and also arrange the small claws of the
lobster, bent at the joint, around the border. Y>y
this means nearly all of the green salade is hidden,
and the effect of the dish is exceedingly pretty. The
remainder of the chopped parsley and capers may
also be placed round the edge, as when the dish is
mixed up it will help to improve the flavour.
There is one thing more, however, that may make
the dish look still prettier, and that is a little lobster-
spawn. If the lobster contained any spawn, take a
small piece and cut it up into little pieces the size of
a pin’s head, or a little bigger — a dozen and a half
pieces will be sufficient — arid sprinkle these over
the sauce alternately with the little green pieces of
parsley.
It has been described how to make a nice-looking
little lobster salade mayonnaise✪ Lobster Salade Mayonnaise for about four persons.
When, however, a considerably larger dish, and several
of them, are required, such a:> for a wedding breakfast
or ball supper, you should get by way of garnish a
few little crayfish or prawns. A small crayfish placed
in the comer of each dish, with its claws out-
E
66
Common-sense Coo ker y.
stretched, resting on the mayonnaise sauce, looks
very pretty. If, too, the dish is of a considerable size,
a small one may be lightly placed on the top as an
ornament.
Now, we have described one way of ornamenting
a lobster salade, but, of course, this is only one out of
an infinite number of methods. Nor do we maintain
that this is by any means the prettiest method ; but
we have given it as one of the simplest. For instance,
mayonnaise sauce can be coloured red by mixing up
some lobster butter with it, or green, by means of
parsley-juice. Plovers’ eggs, too, when they can be
obtained, form a very pretty garnish. Leaves or
flowers can be cut out of beetroot with a stamp, and
be used by way of ornament. The long, thin tendons
of the lobster can be arranged, too, to stick upright
out of the centre, but they should be put in before
the mayonnaise sauce is placed on the lobster.
Page 25 · 1 recipe record on this page
Presented as published in 1880. Historical recipes may not meet modern food-safety standards. Cook from the modern interpretation, not the original instructions.
AI-modernized reading of the original text
Now to ornament it. First pick out about a dozen of the brightest-looking capers, and stick them lightly over the sauce. They will stick easily without being in the least pushed in. Next pick out about a dozen and a half pieces of the chopped parsley, each piece about the size of a pin’s head, and drop these over it to give it a slight speckled appearance. Next take the beetroot, which of course is supposed to have been boiled and got cold, and cut it into small strips about an inch long, and as thick as a wooden lucifer match split into four, and with these strips form a trellis-work of beetroot round the edge of the salade where the sauce joins the lettuce, so that the bottom of each strip just touches the lettuce, but the strip
To Make Dim ms Look Nice. 65
itself rests on the sauce. The contrast between the red trellis and the white sauce has a very pretty effect. Next cut the egg into quarters lengthways, and [dace the pieces round the edge at equal distances, and put the olives and anchovies at equal distances between them ; and also arrange the small claws of the lobster, bent at the joint, around the border. By this means nearly all of the green salade is hidden, and the effect of the dish is exceedingly pretty. The remainder of the chopped parsley and capers may also be placed round the edge, as when the dish is mixed up it will help to improve the flavour.
There is one thing more, however, that may make the dish look still prettier, and that is a little lobsterspawn. If the lobster contained any spawn, take a small piece and cut it up into little pieces the size of a pin’s head, or a little bigger — a dozen and a half pieces will be sufficient — and sprinkle these over the sauce alternately with the little green pieces of parsley.
It has been described how to make a nice-looking little lobster salade mayonnaise for about four persons. When, however, a considerably larger dish, and several of them, are required, such as for a wedding breakfast or ball supper, you should get by way of garnish a few little crayfish or prawns. A small crayfish placed in the comer of each dish, with its claws out- E
Common-sense Coo ker y.
stretched, resting on the mayonnaise sauce, looks very pretty. If, too, the dish is of a considerable size, a small one may be lightly placed on the top as an ornament.
Now, we have described one way of ornamenting a lobster salade, but, of course, this is only one out of an infinite number of methods. Nor do we maintain that this is by any means the prettiest method ; but we have given it as one of the simplest. For instance, mayonnaise sauce can be coloured red by mixing up some lobster butter with it, or green, by means of parsley-juice. Plovers’ eggs, too, when they can be obtained, form a very pretty garnish. Leaves or flowers can be cut out of beetroot with a stamp, and be used by way of ornament. The long, thin tendons of the lobster can be arranged, too, to stick upright out of the centre, but they should be put in before the mayonnaise sauce is placed on the lobster.
Records on this page
Lobster Salade Mayonnaise