[908.] Oyster Salad.— To make a salad for 6 persons take 2 dozen large oysters, put them with their liquor over the fire and let them boil 1 minute, but no longer; take them out with a skimmer and lay in a dish; when cold squeeze over the juice of 2 lemons and place the dish on ice for 1 hour; shortly before serving put the oysters into a salad dish, lay some young lettuce leaves between them and pour over Mayonaise No. 1; lay young lettuce leaves in a circle around the dish, put some hard boiled eggs cut into slices between the lettuce and serve at once. Another way is to mix the oysters with finely cut white celery, dress them with the same mayonaise and ornament the salad with the tops of young celery; hard boiled chopped eggs may also be sprinkled over with 1 spoonful capers.
[909.] Oyster and Chicken Salad.— Remove the skin and bones from 1 cold, roasted chicken and cut the meat into pieces 1 inch in size; put it into a dish, sprinkle over a little salt, the juice of 2 lemons and pour over a few spoonfuls fine salad oil; then place the dish on ice; in the meantime scald 1½ dozen large oysters in their own liquor, take them out and put the oysters in a dish with some cracked ice; have prepared 2 quarts sour jelly (aspic) and pour a few spoonfuls of it onto a large, shallow tin pan; when firm trim the oysters so that there is nothing left but the eye; lay them over the jelly (not too close together), pour over a little more cold jelly and when firm pour over sufficient cold jelly to entirely cover the oysters; let it stand in a cool place till firm; 10 minutes before serving wipe the chicken meat dry with a napkin; pour some fine mayonaise into a salad dish, lay over a layer of the chicken meat and cover with mayonaise; continue in this way till all is used; cover the whole with mayonaise in such a way that none of the chicken is seen; then lay a border of cresses around it; cut the oysters into rounds with a fluted cutter a little larger than the oysters, lay them on the cresses and serve. Lettuce may be used instead of cresses.
[910.] Tomato Jelly.— Stew for ½ hour 1 can tomatoes with 1 teaspoonful salt, 1 teaspoonful sugar, as much cayenne pepper as you can hold on the point of a knife and 2 tablespoonfuls vinegar; then press them through a sieve; in the meantime soak 1 ounce gelatine in ½ cup cold water for 15 minutes, add it to the tomatoes, put over the fire and stir till the gelatine is dissolved; then strain through a flannel jelly bag; fill the jelly into small patty forms and set them in a cool place till firm.
[911.] Tomato Jelly Salad.— Prepare a tomato jelly the same as in foregoing recipe; turn it out of the small forms, lay into a salad dish, stick small pieces of white celery into each one, put a border of young lettuce leaves around it, pour over a mayonaise and serve at once. Tomato jelly may be made in one large form and when hard chopped coarsely and used for garnishing dishes of cold meats or salads.
[912.] Egg Salad.— Put ½ dozen eggs in a saucepan, cover with cold water and boil them 10 minutes; transfer the eggs to cold water and let them lay till cooled off; when cold remove the shells and cut the eggs into quarters; put them into a salad dish with young lettuce leaves, pour over a mayonaise dressing and garnish with lettuce leaves.
[913.] Eggs with Mayonaise.— Boil ½ dozen eggs 10 minutes; then transfer them to a pan of cold water and when cold remove the shells; take 6 small plates, put 2 lettuce leaves on each plate and put an egg in the center of the 2 leaves in such a way that the leaves stand round the egg like a tulip; pour over each egg 1 tablespoonful mayonaise and sprinkle over a few capers; serve a plate to each person.
[914.] Onion Salad.— Take 2 large Bermuda or California onions, peel and cut them with a sharp knife into fine slices, put a layer of the slices into a salad dish and pour over some fine mayonaise; then put over some cresses and pour over more mayonaise; continue in this way until all is used; cover with mayonaise, lay some cresses in a circle round the dish and let it stand on ice for 10 minutes; then serve.
[915.] Alligator Pear Salad.— Take 2 alligator pears, cut them into slices and put them into a salad dish; remove the shells from 4 hard boiled eggs, break the yolks into small pieces and sprinkle them over the sliced pears; cut the whites into fine strips, lay them in a circle round the dish close to the pears, pour over a fine mayonaise and lay a border of tender lettuce leaves round the edge of dish.
[916.] Jerusalem Artichoke Salad.— Scrape the artichokes carefully and drop them into vinegar and water; mix ½ tablespoonful flour with a little cold water, stir it into a quart of boiling water and add 1 cup vinegar; as soon as this boils put in the artichokes and boil them till done, but not too tender; when done remove them from the water and set in a cool place; when cold cut the artichokes into pieces, put them into a salad dish, pour over a mayonaise, set some shrimp around the salad and set the dish on ice for 1 hour; when ready to serve lay a border of lettuce leaves round the edge of dish.
[917.] Sour Jelly (Aspic).— Soak 2 ounces gelatine in ½ pint cold water 15 minutes; then put it over the fire with 1 quart good meat stock and sufficient vinegar to give it a nice sour taste; add a few cloves, 2 blades mace and 1 bay leaf; stir this over the fire till the gelatine is dissolved; beat the whites of 2 eggs till light and add the juice of 1 lemon and a little cold water; stir it with an egg beater into the jelly and stir and boil for a few minutes; then draw the saucepan to side of stove and let it stand 5 minutes; then strain through a jelly bag; or turn a chair upside down on a kitchen table; then take a square piece of unbleached muslin and tie a corner over each of the upturned legs of the chair; set a bowl underneath and pour the jelly onto the cloth a little at a time and keep the saucepan on the side of stove, to keep the jelly warm. If meat stock is not handy dissolve 2 teaspoonfuls Liebig’s beef extract in 1 quart boiling water and use it instead of meat stock. Another way is to boil 4 calves’ feet till they fall apart; then strain off the liquor, set it aside and when cold remove all the fat; boil the liquor down to 2 quarts; then beat the whites of 4 eggs to a froth and add the juice of 1 lemon and a little water; add to the broth sufficient white vinegar to give it a nice sour taste; also add a little salt, some whole pepper corns, a few blades mace, 4 cloves and 1 bay leaf; stir in the beaten whites, continue stirring, let the contents boil for a few minutes and let it stand 5 minutes; then draw to side of stove, let it stand 5 minutes and strain through a flannel jelly bag. Pigs’ feet or the skin of fresh pork may be used instead of calves’ feet. Sour jelly is used for garnishing dishes of meat and salads. It is either chopped with a knife or put into small fancy forms and when firm turned out and laid around the dishes with cresses, lettuce or celery between. If the jelly is not dark enough add a little sugar color (see Sugar Color). If the jelly is white it may be colored green with green spinach color or pink with cochineal.