The new century cookery book

The word salad is generally defined as a dish of raw herbs or plants (salad plants) eaten with salt, or dressed with vinegar and oil, eaten with other dishes as a relish or an accompaniment. But few people are content to eat salad with salt alone ; the majority prefer it dressed in some tasty mixture known as salad dressing. When, we come to the dressing of salads we usually discover a weakness, or some lack of knowledge how to please the palate. The reason is that salad-making or salad-mixing is an art, if not a gift, which is granted to but few. Most people can with study and a certain amount of judgment achieve success in this branch of the culinary art. Salads are prepared in such a variety of ways, and form such a large number of materials, that the subject is broad enough to fill a separate volume. Nearly all succulent vegetables can be brought into requisition in compounding salads. No matter what a salad is composed of, it should always look cool, inviting, and dainty. Almost anything under the sun in the way of eatables can be converted into a salad. The variety of salads is therefore almost endless — raw products, acetarious plants or succulent plants, hot and cold cooked vegetables, fish and meat, are indifferently mixed or blended together. In a typical plain salad the lettuce is generally the foundation, whilst the Russian salad—salade russe—is regarded as the most recherché of dressed salads or fancy salads. So called French salads take the lead in popularity, and these are served to be eaten with the roast or separately. A true French salad is dressed with vinaigrette and the fourniture d'herbes; the mixing of this salad could be tabulated in at least fifty ways, the one rule being that a typical French salad should, in addition to the herbs used, consist but of one kind of vegetable, i.e. of lettuce, endive, batavia, tomato, or escarole. This is frequently disregarded in this country. A French cook or housekeeper will on no account mix any two of these plants together for a salad, because it is claimed that their delicate flavours become thereby impaired, if not entirely destroyed. 1502. Nut Potato Salad.1 This salad is very delicious. Now if you don’t think this is true, Just try it ; ’tis very nutritious ; You’ll find that the recipe’s new. Boil four large potatoes and slice thin, Three bunches of celery cut up, Then mix them together and put in Some walnuts, about half a cup. Part second remains without guessing, The salad is not yet complete ; One large cup of mayonnaise dressing, The same of whipped cream, rich and sweet. ' 1503. Salade à la Reynière. — Wash and drain two nice French lettuces, tear into small pieces, toast a slice of bread about one-third of an inch thick, dip it in salad oil, put it in a salad bowl ; dress the lettuce on this with alternate layers of cooked French beans ; garnish with cooked beetroot, hard-boiled eggs, chopped chervil, so as to form a nice design ; season with pepper, salt, oil, and chilli vinegar just before sending to table. 1504. Salade à la Contoise (Contoise Lettuce Salad). — 2 cabbage lettuces, 1 firm tomato, a small handful of fine white dandelion, 2 oz. boiled pickled pork, 1 tablespoonful salad oil, 1 tablespoonful French wine vinegar, chopped parsley, pepper and salt.