of minced chives or shallot for each tablespoonful
of ham or other flavouring. This is a very favourite
and most useful dish, as all sorts of scraps can be
used for it. Broken up cauliflower, asparagus,
fish, &c., can all be used instead of meat. Tomatoes
may be cooked in so many ways that it is impossible in
a book of this size to do more than give a few recipes ;
but, given these, an intelligent cook will not find it
hard to evolve other little dishes. It may be men-
tioned that tomatoes blend admirably with macaroni,
and are a great addition, quartered, to any casserole
and most stews.
Tomato garnishes. — Tomatoes may be used in
various ways for garnish. For instance, choose small
ones, cut a slice off the stalk end, and with a silver
spoon scoop out the pips, and a little of the pulp,
then press back the flesh with the bowl of the spoon,
season the inside lightly with pepper, a very little
salt, oil, and a few drops of tarragon vinegar, minced
parsley, and, if liked, chives, then fill up the centre
with any nice mayonnaise to taste, putting on the
top an olive stuffed with anchovy butter or a rolled
anchovy fillet. These make an excellent garnish
for cold roast meat. If larger tomatoes are used
they may be scalded, peeled, and halved, the inner
side being treated as above, and then filled up with
any dainty salading to taste. For instance, Avith
cold fowl, or a chaufroix of lamb cutlets, prepare
the tomatoes thus, then fill them with asparagus
points or young green peas tossed in mayonnaise
sauce, and, if liked, set a plover’s egg or a cube of
foie gras truffe on the top of each. This last is, of
VEGETABLES.
137
course, not indispensable. Or a plain lettuce salad
only, seasoned with a vinaigrette dressing, is very
effective served in this way. With cold game, fill up
with a mushroom salad. Another pretty garnish may
be made by cutting small unpeeled tomatoes with
a sharp knife into sections the shape and size of the
divisions of an orange, seasoning these with oil,
tarragon vinegar, freshly-ground black pepper, salt,
and minced-parsley, or green tarragon and chervil.
These can be used alone or in a salad. Mind that
for this the tomatoes are not over ripe or soft, or
the appearance of the garnish will be spoilt. Some
cooks fry such sections and serve them hot, dusted
with pepper and salt, piled up as an accompaniment
to roast mutton, &c.
Truffles {T ruffes). — These, in any soigne kitchen,
should be used fresh or not at all. The bottled
truffles are practically useless, as their flavour has
almost entirely perished, and there is nothing left but
a leathery, indigestible substance, which, but for
fashion, we should never dream of trying to eat.
Of truffles there are two kinds, the black or common
one, and the Piemontais or white truffle, seldom
if ever seen in this country. If bought fresh, truffles
should be very carefully washed and brushed with
a good stiff nail brush, to remove every trace of earth
and sand from the rough skin, then peel them, put
them on in a pan with sufficient chicken stock and
sherry, in equal quantities, to cover them, a table-
spoonful of butter or the fat off rich soup, an onion,
and a bouquet ; let this all cook gently together for
fifteen minutes in a closely-covered pan. Now
VEGETABLES.
U8
Page 69
Presented as published in 1902. 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
of minced chives or shallot for each tablespoonful of ham or other flavouring. This is a very favourite and most useful dish, as all sorts of scraps can be used for it. Broken up cauliflower, asparagus, fish, &c., can all be used instead of meat. Tomatoes may be cooked in so many ways that it is impossible in a book of this size to do more than give a few recipes ; but, given these, an intelligent cook will not find it hard to evolve other little dishes. It may be mentioned that tomatoes blend admirably with macaroni, and are a great addition, quartered, to any casserole and most stews.
Tomato garnishes. — Tomatoes may be used in various ways for garnish. For instance, choose small ones, cut a slice off the stalk end, and with a silver spoon scoop out the pips, and a little of the pulp, then press back the flesh with the bowl of the spoon, season the inside lightly with pepper, a very little salt, oil, and a few drops of tarragon vinegar, minced parsley, and, if liked, chives, then fill up the centre with any nice mayonnaise to taste, putting on the top an olive stuffed with anchovy butter or a rolled anchovy fillet. These make an excellent garnish for cold roast meat. If larger tomatoes are used they may be scalded, peeled, and halved, the inner side being treated as above, and then filled up with any dainty salading to taste. For instance, with cold fowl, or a chaufroix of lamb cutlets, prepare the tomatoes thus, then fill them with asparagus points or young green peas tossed in mayonnaise sauce, and, if liked, set a plover’s egg or a cube of foie gras truffe on the top of each. This last is, of
course, not indispensable. Or a plain lettuce salad only, seasoned with a vinaigrette dressing, is very effective served in this way. With cold game, fill up with a mushroom salad. Another pretty garnish may be made by cutting small unpeeled tomatoes with a sharp knife into sections the shape and size of the divisions of an orange, seasoning these with oil, tarragon vinegar, freshly-ground black pepper, salt, and minced-parsley, or green tarragon and chervil. These can be used alone or in a salad. Mind that for this the tomatoes are not over ripe or soft, or the appearance of the garnish will be spoilt. Some cooks fry such sections and serve them hot, dusted with pepper and salt, piled up as an accompaniment to roast mutton, &c.
Truffles {Truffes). — These, in any soigne kitchen, should be used fresh or not at all. The bottled truffles are practically useless, as their flavour has almost entirely perished, and there is nothing left but a leathery, indigestible substance, which, but for fashion, we should never dream of trying to eat. Of truffles there are two kinds, the black or common one, and the Piemontais or white truffle, seldom if ever seen in this country. If bought fresh, truffles should be very carefully washed and brushed with a good stiff nail brush, to remove every trace of earth and sand from the rough skin, then peel them, put them on in a pan with sufficient chicken stock and sherry, in equal quantities, to cover them, a tablespoonful of butter or the fat off rich soup, an onion, and a bouquet ; let this all cook gently together for fifteen minutes in a closely-covered pan. Now
U8