Miss Parloa's kitchen companion

There are many kinds of salad-dressing. The Mayonnaise is the cream of all yet invented. Even people who dislike oil, as a rule, find this by far the most delicate dressing made. Some cooks think that a Mayonnaise is ruined if there be mustard and sugar in it. Others condemn the use of cream. These are matters of taste, and individuals have a perfect right to exercise their own judgment in the matter. One cupful of whipped cream added to one pint of Mayonnaise will so tone the flavor of the oil that people who cannot eat a salad when made with the ordinary Mayonnaise will enjoy it when this slight addition is made. Again, some persons use no acid but lemon juice, whereas others would not have a drop of lemon juice mixed with a Mayonnaise. It seems as if at least one-half of the salad-eating people in America do not like the taste of oil. If they choose to tone it down with cream there is no law against it. A rule for cream-dressing is given on page 428 for the benefit of those who will not use oil. The simple French dressing which is used with so many vegetable salads is, like the Mayonnaise, subject to modifications to suit various tastes. The proportions may be six table-spoonfuls of oil to one of vinegar ; or the quantity of vinegar may be twice that of oil. A good rule is to take six table-spoonfuls of oil, two of vinegar, half a teaspoonful of salt, and a saltspoonful of pepper. Mix the oil, salt, and pepper together; then add the vinegar. Mayonnaise Dressing. For one pint of dressing use three gills of oil, the yolks of two uncooked eggs, one teaspoonful of mustard, half a teaspoonful of salt, two table-spoonfuls of lemon juice, two of vinegar, one-tenth of a teaspoonful of cayenne, and four table-spoonfuls of thick sweet cream. In order to succeed in making a Mayonnaise dressing, it is necessary to have all the materials cold. Let the oil stand in the refrigerator for an hour or more before using it. Set a small smooth-bottomed bowl in a shallow dish, and put a few pieces of ice and a pint of cold water in this dish. Put the dry ingredients and the yolks of the eggs in the bowl, and beat them with the Doverbeater until the mixture is light and thick. Now begin to add the oil, a few drops at a time. Each time the oil is added, beat until it is thoroughly blended with the other ingredients. As soon as the mixture becomes thick and ropy the oil may be added more freely. Beginning at this stage, the vinegar may be added, half a teaspoonful at a time. When the dressing gets so thick that the beater will hardly turn, the oil may be added in larger quantities, — about a table-spoonful at a time. As soon as all the vinegar has been added, begin to add the lemon juice in the same manner. When the dressing is light and smooth, whip the cream with a fork, and stir it into the dressing. Where the taste of oil is liked the cream may be omitted ; the cream tones down the flavor of oil. On the other hand, when oil is not liked, less of it may be used, thick whipped cream being substituted. For most tastes, however, the dressing as it is given will be found satisfactory. * Cream Salad Dressing.