Salads, sandwiches, and savouries

smooth paste with a little cold water, then, when this is perfectly blended, pour in very gradually a pint of absolutely boiling water or skim milk, bring it well to the boil, dissolve in it three-quarters to loz. of gelatine, and let it all simmer together till the gelatine is entirely dissolved and the whole is smooth ; use this to mask the crouton, just as it is cooled and all but setting. A good brown chaufroix for this purpose is made by stirring 2oz. of flour over the fire with ^oz, of butter till it has turned a rich, but not too deep, brown. (If you need a very deep colour, add a drop or two of caramel, or a little brown colouring till you get the right tint.) Finish off with either water or colouring liquid, as if it were melted butter, dissolving in it |oz. to loz. of gelatine to the pint of sauce. For Caramel, melt 2oz. of pounded loaf sugar in a small iron saucepan, stirring it with an iron spoon until it turns a rich dark brown; then add half a pint of hot water, and let it boil up till the water is thoroughly coloured, when you lift off the pan, let it cool, and bottle it. The difficulty about this is that it is very apt to bum, when it becomes acrid and unpleasant, whilst if not sufficiently cooked, it gives a sickly sweetness to everything to which it is added. This is often used by cooks to “bring up the colour” (as they call it) of badly made soups, and in such cases is to be avoided, but it comes in very usefully in the present instance. Another very good colouring (which would answer admirably for the brown sauce given above) is made by toasting a slice of bread till it is as dark a brown as you can get it without actually letting it burn. It is then put into either cold or hot water, and allowed to steep until the water is sufficiently coloured. This browning is also often used to colour soups, either of meat, fish, or vegetable stock. Of course, these sauces are simply for decorative purposes ; where the croutons are small, and, though used for garnish, are actually to be eaten, the best sauces must, of course be used. Anyway, whatever sauce you use, do not colour them artificially. Next to croutons comes jelly. Now, of this there are two kinds — meat jelly and aspic jelly. This latter has been so fully dealt with in No. IV. of the “ Queen ” Cookery Books (on “ Entrees ”) that no more need be said here. But remember, that though the ordinary aspic, made without stock, will answer admirably for socles or stands, if it is to be eaten care must be bestowed on its flavour as well as on its clearness. Again, aspic, by reason of its necessary acidity, is not always suitable, and in many cases dishes are actually spoilt by this tartness. In this case it is better to prepare the jelly thus : Put into a pan a quart of any bght stock to taste, according to the colour you wish your jelly to be {Consomme Maggi dissolved in water according to its accompanying directions makes a most praiseworthy foundation for savoury jeHy), a good bunch.