FRUITS
No. 1. Oranges. Cut off the tops of the oranges. Scrape out the pulp and draw a narrow ribbon through each top, passing the two ends through with a bodkin and tying them on the under side. Drawing through the ribbon soils it. Tie a bow on top.
Loosen the pulp of the orange, using a silver knife, so it can be eaten with a spoon. Add a little sugar if necessary, and a teaspoonful of sherry, if desired.
No. 2. Salpicon of fruits. Place in the center of a glass plate some pieces of the pulp of an orange or grape-fruit, or both mixed together. Arrange around them a double row of white grapes cut in halves and with the seeds removed.
Salpicon of fruits in glasses. This is a mixture of fruits such as grape-fruit, grapes, oranges, bananas, and pineapple, or any combination convenient. Divide the oranges and grape-fruit into sections, then carefully take off the skins and remove the seeds. Leave the pulp in large pieces; add enough sugar to sweeten and a little sherry if desired. Cut the grapes in halves and remove the seeds. Place the mixture in individual glasses and add two or three candied cherries to each glass.
Grape-fruit. Prepare grape-fruit as directed above. Sweeten it and make it very cold. Place it in individual glasses with a candied cherry in the center. At the last moment add a teaspoonful of cracked ice to each glass.
NO. 18. 1. SALPICON OF FRUIT ON GLASS PLATE. 2. ORANGE.
NO. 19. INDIVIDUAL DISH OF STRAWBERRIES.
Strawberries. Press powdered sugar into a small cup or glass to mold it. Turn the sugar into the center of a dish and arrange around it carefully selected strawberries. Leave the hulls on the berries and serve in individual portions.
Individual pineapples. Cut small pineapples in two. Cut the ends so the pieces will stand straight. Cut out the centers and tear the pulp into pieces, then return it to the cups formed by the skins. Sweeten with powdered sugar; add a tablespoonful of sherry, if desired, to each portion. Let them stand a little while to extract the juice. At the moment of serving add a teaspoonful of cracked ice to each cup. Serve as a first course at luncheon, or before the game at dinner.
A variety called strawberry pines are best suited for this dish. They are sometimes so small that a whole one may be used as one portion.
NO. 20. INDIVIDUAL DISHES OF STRAWBERRY PINEAPPLES.
Currants. Make a mound of sugar as directed for strawberries. Place around the sugar bunches of cherry currants, as in No. 1, or pile them on grape leaves as in No. 2. White and red currants may be placed in the same dish. Serve in individual portions as first course at luncheon or at breakfast.
NO. 21. INDIVIDUAL DISHES OF CURRANTS.
NO. 22. FROSTED CURRANTS.
Frosted currants. Stem large cherry currants. Put them in a dish with a quantity of granulated sugar and shake them together. The moisture of the currants will cause enough sugar to adhere to completely cover them. Turn them off the sugar and serve at once before the sugar loses its dryness. Serve them on leaves in individual portions, or pass them as a first course at luncheon or breakfast. This is a very pretty way of serving currants.
NO. 23. MUSKMELON.
Muskmelon. The muskmelon should be very ripe and very cold. Cut the melons in two and serve with cracked ice in each half. If the melon is not too large serve a half as one portion. Serve on individual plates, or pass as first course for breakfast, luncheon, or dinner. Pass salt and sugar.
For other arrangements of fruits see “Century Cook Book,” page 529.