Salads, sandwiches, and savouries

Of Mustards, again, there are a great variety, and a pleasant change may be made by mixing the mustard smoothly with any spiced or flavoured vinegar to taste ; or again, boil about half a teaspoonful each of salt, freshly ground black pepper, mace, cloves, and a dash of cayenne, with a small ■clove of garlic, in half a pint of good vinegar till this is strongly flavoured ; mix 4oz. or 5oz. of mustard to a stiff paste with some cold tarragon vinegar, then strain into it gradually the boiling-hot spiced vinegar, stirring it as you do so with a small red-hot poker, or kitchen skewer. This mustard, if stored in wide-mouthed bottles, and tightly corked, will keep for years. Salt also needs attention. Perhaps the nicest in many ways is the well-known Cerebos salt, as it never cakes, but a very nice salt for home consumption can be produced by sifting together a teaspoonful of best cornflour, or of creme de riz, and a teacupful of finely powdered salt. This must be kept in a dry spot. Croutes and Croutons. — Of these there are various kinds. The large kind used as a socle, or support, has already been described, but the small croutes or croutons used for garnish or savouries should be prepared thus : Slice down some stale bread about one-third to half an inch thick, remove all crust, and cut or stamp out these slices into triangles, hearts, rounds, squares, &c., as you please, and fry them in butter till of a delicate golden brown, evenly but not over, coloured. Drain them well in front of the fire, or in the mouth of the oven, till quite dry and biscuit-crisp. Then use hot or cold. Croutons frequently suffer from being cut too thick, in which case the centre remains moist and pappy after the surface is coloured and crisp ; this does not matter so much if they are to be eaten at once, hot, but if they have to stand they become soft and greasy, and most unpleasant. Always be sure that these croutons are thoroughly drained, and so freed from grease that they will leave no mark on blotting paper. For household purposes, well clarified dripping or marrow fat answers very well for frying these, but chefs always advise clarified butter. Another way of preparing them is, after shaping them, to dip them in good stock till saturated, but not pappy, and then lay them in a buttered baking tin in the oven till crisp and nicely coloured. These are, of course, more savoury than if plainly fried. A third plan is this : From slices a half to one inch thick stamp or cut out rounds or squares one and a half to two inches in diameter, then with a smaller cutter, or a knife, mark out an inner circle, or square, from a quarter to half an inch inside the outer ring, pressing the cutter well down into the bread to within a quarter of an inch of the under side of the bread ; fry these carefully till of a pale gold, then with the point of a small sharp knife lift out the inner ring, remove all moist crumb, and finish off as with other croutes, to get these quite 12^ biscuit-crisp. These hollow croutes are sometimes called croutes creuses, but more often croustades, or caisses.