The cult of the chafing dish

Cut off the heads and tails of the sprats and put them into the pan with a cupful of thin bouillon, three sprigs of parsley, half a sliced carrot, and plenty of salt and pepper. Let this boil up for ten minutes. Take it off ; strain the liquor, return the fish to the pan with three more sprigs of parsley and another sliced half carrot. Boil up again for five minutes this time. A squeeze of lemon and a glass of sherry to be added just before serving, of course with the sauce round the fish. It has always been said, although it is scarcely provable, that fish, owing to the phosphorus, is good as a brainmaker. A visitor at a Devonshire fishing village asked the parson what was the principal diet of the villagers. " Fish mostly," said the Vicar. " But I thought fish was a brain food, and these are the most unintelligent folk I ever saw," remarked the tourist. " Well," replied the parson, "just think what they would look like if they didn't eat fish ! " In America the lobster is a frequent victim of the Chafing Dish, and there are many and diverse ways of torturing his succulent flesh therein. I will give three recipes of a more simple nature, all of which have been tried and proven not guilty of indigestion. I should premise, however, that to my individual taste a lobster is only really good in two ways. First, plain boiled and eaten cold with a vinaigrette sauce ; and, secondly, as a simple salad with lettuce and perchance, a stray tomato. However, there may be others with different tastes, and to such I commend the following : Buttered Lobster. First, Buttered Lobster. Beat up two egg yolks with two tablespoons of butter until it makes a smooth cream ; add a wineglass of milk or cream, a pinch of black pepper, and half a teaspoon of Paprika. Put it in the Chafing Dish with the meat of a lobster cut into inch pieces, add the coral. Let it simmer for ten minutes, keeping the flame well under control. Polly Lobster. The next recipe is called Polly Lobster, and It is toothsome. Cut up the lobster into inch lumps, put it in the dish with two or three tablespoons of salad oil, according to its size ; add three or four whole onions, a small bunch of chives, pepper and salt, a wineglass of sherry, and three quartered tomatoes. Let it boil up for a couple of minutes, squeeze a lemon over it, and serve. Flattered Lobster. The last variation on the lobster theme is somewhat elaborate. It is termed Flattered Lobster, the reason being, I opine, because of the many added attractions to the crustacean's native simplicity. It is not quite orthodox perhaps, but extraordinarily nice. Cut up the meat of a large lobster into cubes. Make a mixture of t\i^o tablespoons of Worcester sauce, the same of vinegar, a wineglass of claret, a dessertspoon of made mustard (French for choice), salt and Paprika to taste. Put the lobster in the Chafer and pour the mixture over it, adding a tablespoon of butter and the like of flour. Let it all heat up gently and slowly ; that is, begin with a fuU flame and reduce after five minutes. Then pour in a liqueur glass of brandy, and heat it up again with full flame for eight minutes, stirring it all the time. The result is surprising. A fish story which is not without charm is told of a seaside village school of very rough fishing lads. The teacher gave them this sum to do : " If two herrings cost three halfpence, what would thirty cost ? " After ten minutes' hard work he noticed one of the boys had filled his copy-book full of figures. " Well, Jim, what's your answer ? " " Please, teacher, 'alf a crown." " Wrong, Jim, try again. If two herrings " " Wait a bit, teacher," the lad interrupted, " 'errings you 'said. 'Ow silly of me; I was a-reckoning of 'em like 'addocks."